I'll Still Be Here
by TheIrishShipperholic
Summary: AU. The unexpected loss of their friend Bonnie will bring Tyler a secret he's been keeping for over a year. Caroline will go to New Orleans. Matt gets the surprise of his life when the young girl he loves fiercely is pregnant. Jeremy will finally get a normal life while Elena & Damon decide to move to Italy. [Set after TVD 5x04/TO 1x04; collaboration with Erin Salvatore]
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** I'll Still Be Here  
**Author:** Katie (TheIrishShipperholic) and Erin (Erin Salvatore)  
**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but this story  
**Show/Movie/Book:** The Vampire Diaries  
**Couples/Category:** Tyler/OC, Matt/April, Caroline/Klaus, Jeremy/TBD, Elena/Damon; AU  
**Rating:** Mature/R, for the necessary chapters and foul language  
**Summary:** AU. The unexpected loss of their friend Bonnie will bring Tyler a secret he's been keeping for over a year. Caroline will go to New Orleans. Matt gets the surprise of his life when the young girl he loves fiercely is pregnant. Jeremy will finally get a normal life while Elena & Damon decide to move to Italy. [Set after TVD 5x04/TO 1x04; collaboration with Erin Salvatore]  
**Author's Note:** This will be the second and last canon collaboration Erin and I write together. There might be more, but we won't know for sure until we end some of the others that we're currently writing.

**Chapter One**…  
A shaky breath is released from the chest of Meghan Fell as the brunette witch finally pulled her van to a stop in front of the apartment complex her older sister lived in. Her brown eyed gaze went to her rear view mirror as Meghan checked on the sleeping toddler boy in the car seat in the backseat of her van. Meghan smiled as she watched T.J., her precious angel, while he slept. The memory of the last time she saw her toddler son's father rose to the front of the witch's mind and she forced it away when she heard T.J. stirring into a waking state. The witch turned around in her seat after removing her seat belt then smiled at T.J. as he rubbed his eyes free of his previous state of slumber. "Momma, what are we doing here?" he asked in a sleep-filled voice.

Almost two years old, Tyler James Lockwood Jr. had picked up more words than she was ready for him to learn, even though Meghan knew she couldn't keep her precious angel little forever. Meghan sighed. "We're here to see your Auntie Meredith, sweetheart. It's been a while since I've seen her and I thought we'd visit her."

T.J. nodded then smiled at his mom. "I love you this much, Momma," he said, opening his arms to show her.

"How much is that, little man?" Meghan said with a sniffle.

"I love you bigger than the sky loves the ground," he said.

Meghan smiled. "I love you just as much or even more, T.J."

He grinned at her then looked through the windshield behind Meghan. "Is that Auntie Merry, Momma?" he asked curiously.

Meghan whirled around to see that her sister had spotted their van in the parking lot and was making her way over to it. "That's your Auntie Merry, yes," she replied.

Meredith smiled at her sister. "Hello, Meghan." She looked at her nephew. "Hello, T.J. Are you being a good boy for Mommy?"

"Uh-huh," he replied with an eager nod of his head. Meghan smiled then climbed from the driver's seat before opening the back and began getting T.J. out of his car seat.

"Okay, Mr. 'Uh-huh', let's get you inside so that you can play for a little bit, okay?" Meghan suggested.

T.J. nodded even more eagerly and Meghan and Meredith headed up to Meredith's apartment, where there were was a play room for him T.J. to occupy himself in while the sisters talked. Meredith noticed that her sister was unusually quiet and it wasn't long before she said, "Everything okay, Meghan? You're awfully quiet."

"I'm scared, Meredith," Meghan confessed in a whispered tone.

"He hasn't asked anything about you since you left, you know. There's no reason to be scared anymore," Meredith told her.

"Still, I'm scared," Meghan said. "How am I going to face Tyler? I can't keep T.J. from him forever. He has to know his son and T.J. has to know about his father."

Meredith nodded. "And you will. If you're worried how he'll react, I'll be there with you when you do face him."

"You're the greatest sister ever, Merry," Meghan said with a grin, jumping out of her chair and pouncing onto her sister's lap.

"I'm your ONLY sister, Meghan," Meredith said with a groan when her sister's weight made her legs fall asleep. "Why the sudden need to be all energetic when I decide to be there for you, sis?"

Meghan smiled. "I'm just so happy, Meredith. I need all the help I can get when I see Tyler and tell him about T.J."

Meredith groaned again. "I can see how happy you are, but you don't have to jump into my lap and cut off my circulation."

Meghan looked down and giggled, moving out of her lap. "Oops, sorry," she said as she ran a hand through her hair. "I just want my eventual meeting with Tyler to go smoothly. He has the right to know the truth. I love him, Merry, and I love our son just as much."

"I know you do, sis, and I'll be there for you…like I always am," Meredith said with another smile, this time hugging her sister fiercely. "I just wish that my own love life hadn't gotten so screwed up."

Meghan knew that her sister was referring to the fling Meredith had had with Jonathan "John" Gilbert and that they had two children together, and she was not sure if her sister was willing to do this on her own, but she'd seen how good Meredith was with 7 ½ Savannah and 6-month-old Christopher. "It hasn't gotten screwed up, Merry. People and circumstances weren't in the right place at the right time when he decided to kill himself to remove himself from his daughter's and his nephew's lives."

Meredith sighed. "I guess you're right. I miss him very much. Raising Savannah and Christopher on my own hasn't been easy. They're too young to really know what happened to him now, but when they're old enough to know the truth, I know that I'm going to have to tell them about why their father had to leave them and their mommy behind."

"I know it's hard, but you're a good mommy, and you're doing a good job."

**Meanwhile**…

Tyler was sitting behind the desk at his parents' mansion when he heard footsteps, and he glanced up to see one of his many hybrid guards stepping into the main office doorway. "Mr. Lockwood?" the guard hesitated with his question.

"Yes, what is it?" Tyler asked.

"She's here," the guard replied.

"Thank you. That will be all," Tyler said, his words the only dismissal the guard needed as the other hybrid turned and left Tyler alone in the office.

A few minutes later, Caroline entered, with a suitcase in her hand. "Tyler, we need to talk."

Tyler noticed the suitcase. "Where are you going, Care?"

"That's what I came to tell you," she replied. "I'm leaving. I can't take it anymore. You have hurt me too many times, Tyler Lockwood. I deserve better than that, so I've come to tell you we're over. I can't be with someone who doesn't want to be with me."

Standing and rounding the desk, Tyler moved toward Caroline then embraced her gently. "Go. Be with him. He's the only one who has made you happy. You have my blessing," he said softly before stepping back.

Caroline raised a curious eyebrow. "You're…actually giving me your blessing?"

Tyler nodded. "Yes. I realize now that I can't compete with Klaus for your affections. He's got me beat in every way. So, yeah, go to him, Care. He can give you more than I ever could."

His now ex-girlfriend replaced her curious look with a soft, warm smile. "I hope that you also find that one you told me about, the 'one that got away'," she told him.

Tyler nodded, knowing who she was referring to. "Yeah, I guess I should start looking for her. Hopefully, she hasn't forgotten me."

"Of course she hasn't, Tyler," Caroline said, giving him a reassuring smile and a final hug before turning and leaving the Lockwood mansion, her suitcase rolling noisily behind her. When she got out to her car, Caroline placed her suitcase in the back and climbed into the front, taking out her phone, scrolling down the list of contacts before coming to Klaus' number, going to the text option and began to type: _"I'm on my way. Just broke up with Tyler. He gave us his blessing. Hope to see you soon. Don't get into too much trouble, okay?"_ Once she was done and had sent it, Caroline placed her phone into the cup holder and started the engine.

She pulled out of the driveway and turned her car in the western direction, smiling for the first time in days.

**In New Orleans**

Klaus heard his phone vibrate and looked at it, seeing that he got a text message. Opening the message, he saw that it was from Caroline, telling him she was coming to him and that she and Tyler were done for good. A smile appeared on his face as he read it. He had missed his little blonde angel dearly and knowing that she was coming to New Orleans to be with him was the most wonderful news he ever received.

Rebekah noticed the smile and looked at her brother. "What are you smiling about over there?"

Klaus looked up at her. "That is for me to know and you to find out, sister." With that, he put aside his sketchbook then left the room, holding firmly onto his phone so that she didn't get any ideas about trying to sneak into it behind his back.

Rebekah watched him go and snuck over to where he had placed his sketchbook, thumbing through the pages and her eyes widened when she saw the recent drawings. They were of her, the blonde vampire from Mystic Falls, the one he'd do just about anything for. No wonder he was smiling like an impish boy. "Oh, big brother…I will find out about her eventually," she said in a soft murmur before returning to her seat when she heard him returning.

Elijah was right behind him with that 'little wolf', the nickname given to Hayley by Klaus. "You can spare me the lectures, Elijah," he said. "I am well aware of the situation with Marcel. Though, I have something he doesn't have."

"Have you now?" his older brother replied. "And what is that exactly?"

"A Queen, only she doesn't know that she's my Queen," Klaus said. "Yes, brother, you heard correctly. My Queen is on her way here and together, we can take this city back and rule it side by side. I think that, after all this time, I can at least have some degree of happiness."

"Wait, what about me?" Hayley demanded.

"You are nothing but a means to an end, little wolf. I never did love you, but, since you are carrying my child, you are allowed to stick around," Klaus replied with a smirk.

"And what if your Queen learned about Hayley and the baby, Niklaus?" Elijah asked. "What do you intend to do about that? You know that you can't hide something like that. Not for long, anyway, since pregnancies tend to show themselves as time progresses. You're going to have to explain it."

"It won't be easy, but I do intend on telling her," Klaus said. "She'll be the one it calls Mother."

Hayley looked indignant. "She…it's a she, dick. I told you that when I found out."

"Yes, little wolf, I remember. The continuous reminders don't seem to be enough for you," Klaus said with an unhappy look on his face.

Elijah looked at Hayley. "Hayley, could you give Niklaus and me a moment alone, please?"

Hayley nodded. "Okay." She snarled at Klaus and then left the room, Rebekah following after her without being told.

Once Rebekah and Hayley were alone, the Original sister snatched a chunk of Hayley's hair by the roots. "Let's get one thing straight, Hayley…as my brother mentioned, you are nothing but a means to an end. When you bring up this so-called twice blessed child that you bring up constantly when he tries to change the conversation? It's going to keep getting a subject change. So, remember that when Caroline comes here, you'll only remain because either Nik OR Caroline allow it," she said, snarling to prove her point before letting the pregnant werewolf go.

"So, that's who his Queen is?" Hayley said. "I figured as much. The way he talks about her, you'd think she was already his wife."

"Let's get something else straight, _Ms. Marshall_, you are also NOT allowed to be in the same room with Caroline, because if memory serves me correctly, I learned that you were the one to help her boyfriend Tyler into breaking his sire bond to my big brother, am I right?" Rebekah said.

Hayley crossed her arms. "Yeah, I did. So?"

"So, it would be in your best interest to stay as far away from Caroline as possible."

"And if I chose not to listen?" Hayley asked.

Rebekah smiled evilly. "Then I will kill you and the baby."

Hayley gasped but didn't get a chance to respond before Rebekah was walking away toward the stairs.

**Salvatore Boarding House – That Same Moment**

Elena Gilbert stood by the window in the living room, not really looking at anything in particular. She hadn't said much since after the memorial, since it was hard to say anything without crying. Fortunately, she had Damon there to lean on. He was always there for her, in good and bad times.

She glanced over when she heard footsteps approach and she tried to smile at her boyfriend, but it soon faltered. "You don't have to pretend around me, Elena," Damon said softly as he moved closer then hugged her from behind.

The brunette vampire nodded. "I keep forgetting that you can see right through me." She sighed. "It's just…I can't believe she's gone, you know? I've lost so much…first my parents, adoptive and biological, then Aunt Jenna and Alaric. Jeremy doesn't exactly count because he was only dead briefly. But, still, all of those losses hit me hard. The loss of Bonnie, it's fucked me in ways I can't describe. And don't tell me to turn off my emotions again, because I don't want to be that way again."

"Then," Damon started before continuing, "I say that we get out of town, so that you feel like you don't have to lose any more relatives."

"That does sound like a good idea," Elena said. "But, where can we go…Atlanta again, or New York?"

"I say…we go further than that. Let's go to Italy," Damon suggested.

Elena smiled. "Italy sounds great! I've always wanted to go to Italy!"

"Elena…" Damon paused. "What if we moved there and not just went for a visit?"

"You…You mean live there?"

Damon nodded. "That's exactly what I mean. Granted, this is a nice town, but after a while, you need a change in scenery. Hell, Caroline just left a while ago, no doubt heading to New Orleans to reunite with a certain Original that's been obsessed with her since they met."

"Caroline left? And she didn't tell me? I had to find out through you after the fact?"

"Relax, don't have an aneurysm," Damon said. "Call her. You have her number, right? So, just call her and ask her why she didn't tell you first."

Of course, Damon knew why. It was because she didn't want to worry her even more, what with the other things Elena was dealing with, including the dreams she kept having about Stefan and the mystery involving her adoptive father in connection to the death of their roommate.

He watched Elena step around him then begin dialing her best friend's cell phone number. "Caroline? It's Elena. Please, give me a call when you get this," Elena said into the blonde vampire's voice mail box before ending the call.

Damon watched as she placed her phone back down then asked, "Anything?"

"No, I had to leave her a voice mail," she replied. "Probably still driving and couldn't answer it." She sighed. "I guess I'll have to wait until she isn't focusing on driving so that she can answer her phone."

"She'll call back. Let's just wait for her to do so to start planning, okay?" Damon said as he gently embraced her. Elena sighed again and rested her head on his broad chest.

"Okay," she replied. "I suppose we could wait to make plans until I hear back from Caroline. She probably does have a good reason for not telling me before she left town, but I don't want to jump to conclusions without hearing what she has to say."

**Mystic Grill – That Same Moment**…

April Young looked nervous as she walked into the Grill, sitting in a booth near the billiard tables. It was no mystery who she was here to see. She was here to see Matt Donovan in regard to something she just discovered earlier. She couldn't keep this to herself, she had to tell him before anyone else found out, the side effect of being in a small town.

But, before she could stop herself, the orphan found her mind drifting back in time, to weeks ago, when she last saw Matt:

_**Seven Weeks Earlier**…_

_She couldn't believe why she was suddenly so nervous about him, the person who had danced with her, the newest Miss Mystic Falls' was coming over to her house. And yet, here she stood, waving her hands to push the smoke from the pure black dish out the open window of her father's ranch house's kitchen. April had ruined the dinner she'd planned for them and she hastily removed her oven mitts then turned around and slid down onto the floor, her hair matting in place to the cool metal counter above the kitchen island. Matt arrived at April's house a few minutes later, seeing smoke coming from the kitchen and hurrying into the house, finding April against the kitchen island, looking like she had gone through hell. "April, are you okay? I saw smoke."_

_April looked at him. "No, I'm not okay. In fact, I feel like this whole evening is ruined. I burned the dinner I was making for us."_

_"I don't care about that," Matt said. "The most important thing is that you're in one piece." She shook her head hastily but was soon paused in doing that when she felt him cup her cheeks in his strong, callused hands before helping her stand up and then crashed his mouth to hers. April moaned against his mouth and returned his kiss, placing her hands on top of his. She then felt his tongue enter her mouth, pulling away a bit. Matt noticed this. "What's wrong? Why did you stop?"_

_"I'm sorry, I…I guess I wasn't expecting that."_

_Matt nodded. "It's okay. I should've warned you before I did that."_

_Slowly, and with a bit of hesitance, April brought his face back down to hers and placed her lips against his. She let out a soft keening sound of pleasure when he deepened the kiss once more then gently sought out entrance between her lips with his silk and velvet tongue. April gave it to him, her slender hands lifting to move into the sandy blonde hair on Matt's head while his lowered to rest at her waist and then moving lower, to caress over her backside in that incredibly sexy pair of curve-hugging jeans she wore. "Matt, please…" she whimpered as she gently tore her mouth away from his._

_"Please what, April? Tell me."_

_"Don't tease me. I don't like it," she murmured._

_Matt kissed her softly. "Don't worry. I'm not going to tease you. I will give you everything you desire and nothing less." The previously soft kiss soon regained its earlier passionate momentum as Matt proceeded to guide April out of the kitchen, both of them whom had their eyes closed, and although the guiding was a bit unsteady, they still managed to make it into the doorway of the downstairs bedroom she had directed him toward. When they got there, Matt kicked the door shut with his foot. They were alone, but he wanted to really ensure their privacy. "Are you sure you want to do this, April? I'm all for it, but I want to make sure that this is really what you want."_

_Her answer was to simply step back from him, cross her arms down by her sides and proceed to wiggle the sweater dress she wore up and over her head. "Does this look like someone who isn't sure?" she asked softly once the sweater dress was tossed to the side and she gestured to her remaining clothes, a pair of leggings adorning her lower half while a bra far from demure, the color a dark rose pink, hugged the curves of her upper body._

_Matt was stunned when he saw what she was wearing. "Wow. You look…amazing."_

_April shook her head no in silent disagreement. "I don't feel amazing. I'm still too…plain," she said softly._

_"You're not plain, April," Matt said as he walked back to close the small amount of distance between them then framed her face in his hands, like what he'd done in the kitchen, tugging it gently up until their eyes met. "You're amazing and beautiful and gorgeous and very, very lovely. Hell, I wish I'd have met you sooner, because on that day at the Miss Mystic Falls' pageant? That was the day I knew that you were going to be the one."_

_April felt tears sting her eyes. Damn it, why did he have to be so sweet? "Matt, I…" She didn't get any more words out because Matt then captured her lips with his in a deep and passionate kiss._

_And then he continued the backward trek toward their final destination, down onto the mattress of the bed, where he fell down with her. His hands wove into the black curls of her hair then left her head before tenderly, gently stroking down her sides and then back up, going around to unfasten the hooks of her bra, marking a trail of open-mouthed kisses down into her neck once the hooks were free and then moving down further until his mouth had closed around her left breast. April felt what he was doing, panting heavily before letting out a pleasurable scream._

_Matt then began to lick a trail away from her chest, moving downward and toward her navel, where he used his tongue to stroke in circles. "Matt…"_

_"Yes, say my name," he said in a soft murmur against the skin beneath his lips. April then watched as he began removing her leggings, his eyes going wide when she saw the matching underwear that had come with her bra._

_April trembled under his touch, never wanting him to stop. "Matt please, just take me. I…I want you!"_

_Rocking back on his heels while keeping her gently pinned to the bed, Matt ripped open the shirt he wore with the MYSTIC GRILL written in red (the shirt was a dark blue color) then proceeded to work on the frustrating belt that held his jeans up. April pushed his hands aside then did it herself before lowering the zipper and then pushing both his jeans and his boxers down past his hips, where he removed them the rest of the way then rejoined her on the bed._

**Present Day**…

April shook her head as she remembered how happy they had been that night. The cooking fiasco had been forgotten and they had spent a wonderful night in each others' arms. Sighing, she placed her hand on her belly, hoping Matt would still want to be with her after she told him. A few moments later, she got her answer when she saw him approach her then lean down to brush his lips over hers. She eased away, however, and Matt noticed this, like he'd noticed that night they'd been together-together. "April, what's wrong?"

"I'm pregnant," she said in a rush.

"I'm sorry, what did you say you were?" Matt asked.

"I'm pregnant," she replied. "And before you ask, yes, it's yours."

"And how long have you known?"

"I found out yesterday and I've been working up the courage to tell you," April said. "I love you so much, Matt, but at the same time, I hope you still want to be with me. I know you have enough crap to worry about without me throwing a baby into the mix."

"A baby…my baby," he said, tears springing to his eyes as he put down the pitcher of the soda he was carrying around to pour into the glass of a customer down a few booth from April's and then knelt down in front of her, turning her gently toward him. His hand hesitantly lifted toward her still-flat stomach. Her own hand gently clasped his in between hers then brought it toward her stomach, pressing it gently and keeping it in place. Matt grinned up at her when he gently stroked her stomach through her shirt's material. "That's my baby in there."

"Our baby," she corrected him with a returned grin.

"Our baby," he agreed. "I like the sound of that a lot better."

April then kissed him gently. "I love you, Matty. We both do."

Matt returned her kiss, not minding that she had called him the nickname his sister called him. "I love you both too, April."


	2. Chapter 2

**_Previously in "I'll Still Be Here", Meredith and Meghan talk telling Tyler about T.J., Caroline breaks up with Tyler, Damon and Elena talk about moving to Italy, and April tells Matt she's pregnant._**

**Chapter Two**

Caroline stepped out of the restroom she had stopped at along the way to New Orleans, licking her lips after feeding on a woman she had compelled to cooperate. She then checked her phone and saw that she had a message. She listened to it and when she heard Elena's voice, she immediately called her back. After several rings, the brunette vampire picked up. "Hello?"

"Elena, it's Caroline. I got your message. What's up?"

"Damon was telling me that you were moving to New Orleans? When did you make that decision?" Elena asked.

Caroline rolled her eyes. Figures Damon would tell her. "I made the decision after the memorial. Tyler and I were on the outs anyway, so I broke up with him and decided to go to New Orleans, where I could be with someone who wants to be with me."

"And Tyler agreed to this?"

"He did," Caroline said. "He gave me his blessing, saying that he could never compete with Klaus for my affections."

"Wow. I mean, I never would've guessed that Tyler would let you go that easily," Elena said.

"Well, he did, Elena. And I'm not going to play second-string anymore. I'm going to come first, especially to someone who actually thinks I'm perfect the way I am," Caroline said. "I'll call you tomorrow, Elena. Have a lovely evening."

With that, she hung up, which made Elena growl in frustration, especially at Caroline's words. Damon heard her growl and looked at her. "What happened?"

"Caroline had the gall to hang up on me after telling me that 'she wasn't going to play second-string anymore, and that she was going to come first, especially to someone who actually thinks she's perfect the way she is'," Elena replied.

"Apparently, Blondie really does want to be with Klaus," Damon said. "It's obvious that we can't change her mind once she's made up her mind."

"I know, but she's been my best friend for longer than I've known you and Stefan," Elena replied softly.

Damon nodded and hugged her to him, kissing her softly. "I know. But, it'll get better in time. You'll see."

"I hope you're right, Damon. I sincerely hope you're right," Elena said, returning his kiss then resting her head against his chest.

As he held her close to him, Damon hoped he was right too. Even though he usually was about certain things, he hoped he was right about this. True, he and Caroline weren't on the best of terms given what happened between them when she was human, but he didn't want to see her and Elena lose their friendship.

**In New Orleans**…

Klaus glared at his sister when she finally returned alone a little bit later after his and Elijah's conversation. "Where is the little wolf?" he demanded in a low tone.

Rebekah raised an eyebrow at him. "How should I know? Maybe she fancied a swim in the pool? It does get rather stifling in here at times."

"Rebekah, please do go find out where she is. I want her here when I greet Caroline, okay?" Klaus said.

"I am not your _slave_, Nik. You cannot treat me as such!" Rebekah hissed.

"Rebekah, don't be difficult," Klaus said. "Just do what I ask. Find out where Hayley is."

Rebekah snarled at him. "Why do you even want her here when Caroline gets here? You heard Elijah. How do you intend to tell her about the baby? Caroline isn't stupid, you know!"

"And neither am I, Rebekah! But, that doesn't mean that I'm not going to not tell her. She'll know before she gets here. In fact, I'll go call her right now and tell her. Then, you'll see if she'd have changed her mind, turned tail and ran back to Mystic Falls, or if she does have that backbone I know she has and stuck around to put up with little wolf," Klaus said.

Rebekah crossed her arms. "Fine, call her and tell her. Let's see how she reacts to it."

Klaus did just that, listening to the younger blonde vampire's phone ring once, twice and then a third time before he heard her chipper voice come on the line. "This is Caroline!"

Klaus smiled when he heard her voice. "Caroline, love, you have no idea how much I appreciated your text message and I look forward to seeing you."

"The feeling is mutual, believe me," she replied. "I'm just so sick of being second string. I want to be first to someone. Since you're the one who saw me for the lady I am, I decided to take you up on your offer to come to New Orleans. You were right, the small town life isn't enough for me and I need more than that."

"Caroline…before you settle in to life in the Quarter, there is something that you must know. I am about to be a father. And you're not going to like it when I tell you who the mother of my unborn child is," Klaus said slowly.

There was a silence until Caroline said, "Who is it, Klaus? Who's the hussy you got pregnant? Tell me so that I know who to be angry at!"

"It's…Hayley Marshall," Klaus finally replied after another lull of silence.

Caroline growled, "Hayley? That little bitch snapped my neck at the Yule Ball! Why, Klaus? I just got saying that I was sick of playing second string and now, I find out that I am about to do the same thing again?"

"That's not going to happen, Caroline."

"And why is that?"

"I don't love her," Klaus said. "We were drunk the night I slept with her. She means nothing to me. The whole damn night meant nothing to me. It still doesn't. I love you and you alone, Caroline. Hayley is a means to an end, and nothing more."

"Well, if you're sure that she is nothing to you…" Caroline said with hesitation.

"Trust me when I say this, Caroline, I don't mean anything I don't say, especially about regrettable one-night stands," Klaus told her.

Caroline sighed. "All right, I trust you. And I will try to tolerate Hayley, even though I still haven't forgotten what she did to me. Since she's a means to an end, as you just said, then I'll take you at your word."

"Thank you, Caroline. This means a lot."

"I should hang up now, Klaus, before I cause an accident," Caroline said.

"Of course, love, I'll see you soon," Klaus replied before they both hung up.

Rebekah looked at him after the call ended. "Well? Did you get the reaction you were hoping for?"

"She yelled at me, yes, but then…she was okay with it. And it was because I had told her that Hayley was only here as the mother of our child," Klaus replied.

Rebekah nodded. "At least you got a positive out of a negative."

"I did, didn't I? That's always wonderful to get," Klaus said with a wolfish grin.

Rebekah nodded. "I suppose I should go see about Hayley then, since you want her here."

Then, before Klaus could answer her, the blonde Original had left the room. Once she was gone, Klaus was just reaching for his sketchbook when he heard a knock at the door. Curiosity got the better of him about whom it could be, so Klaus put his sketch book back where it was and went toward the door. Could this be Caroline already? Since he had no idea where she was when he called her, it was hard to tell. Still, he couldn't let the knock go unanswered, especially if this was indeed her.

The knocking got louder as he approached the door and it sure sounded impatient. "All right, all right, I'm coming."

When he finally opened the door, he gasped in surprise upon who was on the other side. "Well, Niklaus, it would seem that you're surprised to see your own brother, and I'm going to assume that's a good thing," Finn said with a knowing smirk.

Klaus stumbled back in fright. "But…but, how…how are you here?"

Finn nodded. "I know, I know, it's hard to believe that I'm alive, but I guess you could say that I was brought back by magic. Though, for the life of me, I can't remember who brought me back."

Suddenly, before Klaus could reply, a familiar redhead appeared next to Finn and Klaus stumbled back even further away from the doorway. "I think I can answer that, darling. If my memory serves me correctly, I was friends with a witch back in our days as humans, and oh yes? What else am I forgetting? When she died, she had a daughter. That daughter would eventually continue the line, leading to a wiccan descendant that I came into contact with during my time in Ireland before I came here, to the US, to Mystic Falls," Sage said.

Klaus shook his head. "This can't be possible. You're both dead! Finn was stabbed after we broke the link Mother had on us!" He glared at Sage. "Then, because you were turned by him, you died shortly after he did!"

Snarling, Sage reached out and grabbed him by the neck. "For 900+ years, I was forced to live on my own because you shoved a dagger in your own BROTHER'S heart! Well, during that time, I was able to hold onto a grimoire that Kathleen, my friend, gave to me before her death. I tracked down the descendant and gave it to her for safekeeping. When I came to Mystic Falls, I called her and told her my plan. She actually agreed to go along with it, stating that if it wasn't for hearing of the love story that Finn and I went through, she wouldn't have done it."

Klaus snarled and pushed her off. "What descendant? What are you talking about?"

"It's not Bonnie Bennett, if that's what you're wondering. She did mention that her friend's name was Kathleen. Well, the descendant's name is Bridget and she's a pretty powerful witch, Niklaus. She reversed time, for goodness' sakes!" Finn growled.

Klaus felt like his head was spinning. "In any case, brother, your timing is not exactly perfect. I…I am expecting someone."

"Would that someone be Caroline Forbes, that little blonde vampire from Mystic Falls?"

"Yes, actually, it would," another voice said from behind Klaus. He turned to find his sister, who had found Hayley, standing in a pair of sweats and an over-sized hooded sweatshirt that didn't exactly hide her small baby bump.

Sage raised a curious eyebrow at Hayley and then looked at Klaus. "Who's the girl with Rebekah, Niklaus?"

"Everyone, I would like you to meet Hayley Marshall," Klaus said as he went over to stand behind her. "Hayley is a werewolf that's originally from New Orleans, who just happens to be with child, a daughter."

Finn nodded. "Let me guess, it's yours?"

"It is," Klaus said. "But, do not misunderstand me, brother; Hayley and I are not involved with each other. I have no intention of pursuing a relationship with her. The only one I want is Caroline."

"You have told Caroline about the baby, correct?" Sage asked.

"Yes, indeed I have," Klaus replied.

"She yelled at him when she first found out, but she accepts it," Rebekah said. "She knows that Hayley is only here because of the child, nothing else."

Both Finn and Sage nodded before Finn asked, "Would either of you be kind to let us inside?"

"Please, come in, brother," Rebekah said. Finn and Sage both nodded again then stepped over the threshold easily.

Once inside, Finn looked around at the interior. "This is a rather impressive place you have here, Niklaus."

Klaus was about to answer when Elijah appeared, having heard voices coming from the foyer. When he saw Finn, he dropped the tea cup in his hand, which shattered on the floor. "Finnegan…You're alive?"

Hayley looks between them, a confused look on her face. "Wait…why does Elijah call him that instead of Finn?"

Finn turned and looked at the werewolf. "Actually, my full name is Finnegan Cooper Mikaelson, but I only get called that by the lovely redhead here," he said, gesturing to Sage then continued, "And, of course, by my siblings."

Hayley nodded. "Oh, okay. I guess I still have a lot to learn about this family."

"It took me a long time to learn too, Hayley. Don't worry," Sage said with a smile and then squealed in laughter when Finn twirled her in a circle then reeled her back into him. Hayley smiled as she saw how happy Finn and Sage were together. However, said smile faded, mostly because she wished she had someone who loved her that way. She had been alone since her transition and she hated it. She glanced over at Elijah, her baby's uncle and she let out a soft sigh of longing. After doing so, Hayley disappeared in the other direction. Sage noticed this and went after the brunette werewolf. When she caught up to her, she said, "Hayley, are you all right?"

"No, I'm not," she replied. "Everyone else has someone and I'm all alone. First, I got abandoned by my birth parents and then, my adoptive parents kicked me out after I transitioned. I just…want someone to love me the way Finn loves you and the way Klaus loves Caroline."

"You'll find someone. I don't know about you, Hayley, but all those centuries ago…I never thought Finn would even look my way. It took my breath away the moment our eyes met," Sage said.

"He certainly sounds like a great guy," Hayley said. "And I hope you're right."

"I know I'm right," Sage said with a confident smile. She stepped closer to Hayley and gently embraced her, which took Hayley off guard, but she returned the hug quickly. Sage then stepped back. "Whatever you need, Hayley, just ask and I will be sure to get it for you."

"Thank you, Sage." The redhead smiled warmly then left Hayley alone with her thoughts. The expecting werewolf was just opening the door that led out to the patio when a set of masculine hands stopped her. "What? I'm not going to run away." She looked over at Elijah. "Oh, Elijah, it's you. Is…there anything you need from me?"

"This," was all he said before he gently pressed her against the door before lowering his head and capturing her lips with his.

Hayley moaned as she returned his kiss, reaching up to run her fingers through his hair. She pulled away after a few minutes, looking into his eyes. "Elijah, we shouldn't be doing this."

"Why ever not, Hayley?" he asked. "I'm attracted to you, and deep down, I know you feel the same."

"I do, don't get me wrong," Hayley said. "I just…I don't want to get hurt, that's all."

"You think it's because I still harbor feelings for Katerina Petrova, don't you?" he asked. He stepped away from her and began to pace the tiled floor, his shoes noisily moving with him with each back-and-forth stride.

"The thought did cross my mind, Elijah. I know that you two have known each other half a millennia and that getting over someone that easily with someone like me isn't easy," Hayley told him.

Elijah nodded. "Yes. Despite the fact that she lies and manipulates, Katerina was actually a good person at one time." He stopped pacing and turned to her. "But, know this, Hayley; I will never, ever hurt you, emotionally or otherwise. I know that with your history, you have a hard time trusting others. I promise you, you have nothing to fear from me."

"I wish you the best of luck, Elijah, whatever you decide," Hayley told him.

"I don't have to decide, Hayley, because I already know who I want."

"Really?" she replied. "And who might that be?"

"You," Elijah said. "Katerina was in the past, and I realize that I can't stay there, especially not when there's a good thing standing right in front of me. And I promise you that I will help you find your family."

Hayley's cheeks turned a bright tomato red, but she still smiled up at Elijah. "Thank you, Elijah," she said softly.

"You are very welcome, Hayley," he replied. "I'll do just about anything for you, within reason, of course."

Hayley laughed. "Oh, of course it'll be within reason." She got a bit closer to him, wrapping her arms around him. "But, for now, I just want this." She then captured his lips with hers in a soft yet passionate kiss.

Elijah returned her kiss, his arms settling low at her waist and then drifting around to rest on her backside, deepening the kiss even further. His tongue alternated between dueling with hers and then dominating the kiss. Hayley smiled against his lips as he dominated the kiss, bringing her hands up to run her fingers through his hair, just like before. He was definitely a great kisser. Of course, considering the fact that he had been around for centuries, he had definitely had experience, which made her seem like a novice next to him.

Eventually, though, Elijah stepped back. "I don't want to scar my siblings…so, for now, we will put this on pause. I will come to you later," he said in a soft murmur. Brushing his lips over hers once, he then stepped back once again then turned and walked out of the kitchen.

Hayley smiled as she watched him go and, with a soft sigh, she opened the door and headed outside, like she planned to before Elijah stopped her. Once there, she placed a hand on her belly and looked up at the sky, as though thanking the heavens that she was finally going to know true happiness after all this time.

**Author's Note:** Okay, so I'm one of those few that is on the wire when it comes to the pairings Elijah has been in. Elijah & Elena is fine, sure, I'll read them from time to time. Katherine & Elijah are my MAIN pairing, and Phoebe (Hayley) and Daniel (Elijah) have chemistry, so for this fan fiction, we'll be pairing up "Haylijah", even though I'll always be a Kalijah shipper at heart!


	3. Chapter 3

**_Previously in "I'll Still Be Here", Elijah and Hayley confess to each other that they're attracted to one another then kiss to seal the deal, while Klaus tells Caroline that Hayley is pregnant with his child, but he doesn't have any romantic interest in her._**

**Chapter Three**

Jeremy stepped into the Grill and immediately spotted his friend and co-busboy nearby, making out heavily with April. He was happy for his friend, but it made him wander…would he ever get to have what he once had with Vicki, Anna and later Bonnie? Sighing heavily, he decided not to think about it, even though such a thing was going to be easier said than done, and went to get changed for his shift.

Meanwhile, a brunette that was around the same height as April walked into the Grill and glanced around to look for anyone that could help her. Her name was Allison and she was completely and totally lost. Jeremy came out of the locker room and saw Allison standing there. "Hello. Can I help you with something?"

"Yes. Actually, you can. I was just coming into town and I noticed that you had a Help Wanted sign out front, and wanted to ask…are there any positions still open?" she asked. She was suddenly so nervous, especially after she saw the color of his eyes, which turned her knees to mush, complete and utter mush.

Jeremy nodded. "Why, yes, we're hiring. In fact, we haven't taken that sign down because we don't want to discourage any new prospects."

She smiles. "That's good then. But, is there some kind of form of application that I need to fill out?" she asked.

"You should probably ask the manager and somewhat owner, Matt Donovan. He's over there, sitting with the brunette," Jeremy said, pointing out the couple still caught up in each other.

Allison looked in the direction of the couple Jeremy was pointing to. "I really don't want to interrupt them." She looked at Jeremy again. "Do you think maybe you can give me an application? I know you're not the manager, but I really need this job."

"Whoa, whoa, easy, why are you so desperate?" She began to hyperventilate and then tried to calm her breath down, but when that didn't work, Allison found herself falling forward, swaying on her feet. Jeremy caught her before she could fall onto the ground. "Hey, easy there," Jeremy said. "I don't want you to get hurt, especially not before you start working here."

"Someone…already hurt me," she rasped out before letting her eyes drift shut. She became a dead weight in Jeremy's arms, but he thought quickly and lifted her into his strong arms, carrying her bridal style into the back, where he laid her down on a bench in the employees' locker room.

Matt came in just then, having seen Jeremy bring Allison into the locker room. "Jeremy, what happened?"

"I honestly have no idea. One minute she was fine and the next, she was fainting dead away. I caught her before she could fall to the ground," Jeremy replied. He looked up at his friend. "She also mentioned that someone already hurt her, but I don't know what she meant."

Matt nodded. "Well, the good thing is that you caught her and brought her in here." He raised an eyebrow. "What did she come here for? Did she say?"

"She saw the Help Wanted sign and came in to ask for a job."

His friend nodded a second time. "That's good then. I'll get that application she was probably asking for and bring it to you to give to her," he said before disappearing toward the office to the Grill, where he went through filing cabinets then found what he was looking for. Matt turned around to leave and found that April had closed and locked the door, shutting them off from the rest of the Grill 'world'. She'd also lowered the sleeves of her cardigan sweater to entice him and make his blood boil just a little bit.

Matt felt his heart pound when he saw her like that, growling in frustration as he also felt his member respond to what she was doing. "April, I…"

"Yes, Matty, what is it?"

"You're teasing me," he said, stepping closer to her then captured her lips with his in a forceful, demand-filled kiss, his tongue plundering deep and mingling with hers, dancing with it in a tango filled with desperate caresses. April moaned against his mouth, feeling the heat rise between them, like it did the first time they were intimate.

"Matt…" she whimpered when he broke off the kiss to lower his head to her jaw-line and then down into her neck, open-mouthed kisses that stirred her desire to the surface as she tried to keep it from doing so.

Matt smiled against her neck. "Mm-hmm, that's my name."

"What if we get caught in here?" she asked in a soft murmur.

"That's why you closed and locked the door, isn't it? More privacy," he told her before sweeping her into his arms and carrying her over to the desk, where he used one arm after bending down and swept off the entirety of what was on the desk.

Matt then took his shirt off, throwing it to the floor and taking off April's sweater, throwing that to the floor as well, placing her on the desk. "Yes, but I…" she said before cutting her sentence off when his mouth roamed down her chest after removing her bra and closed it around one of the round orbs, sensitive to the touch and aching for only him and him alone to send her spiraling out of control with her desire.

April panted as she felt what he was doing and let out a pleasurable scream, letting him know she was enjoying it. But they were soon interrupted when a loud knocking came onto the office door. "Matt, man, did you get that application? Allison woke up finally and is asking about it," Jeremy's voice came through the door.

Matt then remembered why he had come into the office in the first place. "Oh, uh, yeah I did. Tell her I'll be right there, okay?"

Jeremy nodded. "Okay, I'll tell her."

When he was gone, Matt looked at April. "Mind if we take a rain check on this? There's a girl here who needs a job and I kind of promised Jeremy that I would get an application for her."

April nodded. "Okay." She kissed him. "But, I did enjoy the moment while it lasted."

"We'll have many more moments, trust me on that," he said with a grin, kissing her softly one more time before heading out of the office with the application, going to the locker room and holding the application out to the other brunette.

Jeremy took the application from his friend and smiled knowingly at him. "Let me guess, you and April were having some private time?"

Matt blushed but replied, "Yeah." He cleared his throat. "I just hope that we can get some more information out of Allison in regard to whoever hurt her before she came here."

"We'll probably have to take one step at a time," Jeremy said. "She might not be comfortable with telling us right away."

Matt nodded. "I can do that. I'll see you later, Jeremy," he said, clapping the hunter on the back before turning and heading out of the locker room.

Jeremy then approached Allison and handed her the application. "Here you go. Sorry that it was delayed."

"It's okay," she replied, taking the application from him. "All that matters is that you were able to get it." She smiled at him. "You know, you're kind of cute."

His cheeks turned a bright red. "I should…get back to work," he stuttered out.

"Don't be so modest," Allison said. "I mean it."

"No, really, I should get back to work. If you take that home with you, you'll get it filled out faster. The dinner crowd will be coming in soon, and the noise level won't be good for trying to concentrate," he said.

Allison grew serious then. "That's just it. I…I really can't go home."

"You can't?" Jeremy said. "Why can't you, Allison?"

"Because, mine was burned down to the ground," she replied in a whisper.

Jeremy nodded. "I know how that feels. Mine was burned down as well. Don't ask how, because it'll be too difficult to explain. Anyway, I'm living at the Salvatore boarding house and maybe you can stay there too, since there's plenty of room."

"No. Absolutely not," Allison replied firmly. "There's a Salvatore that was responsible for burning down my childhood home."

"Wait a minute…are you telling me that your name is Allison WHITMORE!?" Jeremy demanded in a low tone.

Allison nodded. "Yes, and I have a long standing grudge against the Salvatore that was responsible for burning down my childhood home. I'm sure you know which one I'm talking about. He's got black hair and blue eyes."

"Damon? Damon burned your house down?"

"Mm-hmm, that's the one. He is the reason I don't go anywhere _near_ the campus, instead choosing to stay in Richmond with friends of the family, taking their last name to cover up my past, my family's past," Allison said.

Jeremy nodded. "I had no idea. I mean, I know that Damon did some horrible stuff in the past, but I didn't know he did that."

"I guess he never told you what went on between 1953 and 1958."

"No, but you might talk to my sister, Elena," Jeremy told her.

"Why would I want to talk to her?" she asked.

"Because, she could talk to her boyfriend about what happened," he replied.

Allison raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really, and who's the guy she dating?"

"Well, you're not going to like my answer," Jeremy replied.

She swore under her breath. "Forget it, I'll just ask around town," she grumbled before standing up from the bench and heading out of the Grill.

Jeremy watched Allison leave and couldn't believe what she told him. Her last name was Whitmore, and he also couldn't believe Damon never mentioned that particular event in his past. He guessed that it had to do with the fact he never liked to talk about certain parts of his past, but it still bothered him that Elena didn't know about it.

**At the Boardinghouse**…

Damon was going through some old photographs of him and Stefan when they were children, before everything happened when his cell phone vibrated on the nightstand beside him. Leaning over, the vampire picked it up and read the text message, which was from Jeremy, silently then glanced out the window into the distance. Sighing, he dialed Jeremy's number. "You have terrible timing, Jeremy."

"I know, but I found out you did a terrible thing in the past."

"I did a lot of terrible things. You're going to have to be specific."

"Even in the years 1953 to 1958, when you were where…?" Jeremy asked.

Damon was shocked. He had forgotten about that, or least he had tried to. "How the hell did you find out about that? I never told anyone about that. Hell, STEFAN doesn't even know about it!"

"You remember Aaron Whitmore, the kid that Elena befriended at college? His twin sister showed up. Her name is Allison, and she actually remembers what you did, from what she'd heard," Jeremy replied.

Damon growled when he heard that last name. In a tone laced with bitter sarcasm, he said to Jeremy, "Yeah and I'll bet that made for an interesting conversation at the dinner table."

"She hasn't seen her brother in a long time, Damon. So, she doesn't really know that he's friends with my sister or anything like that. Allison has been in Richmond since she was little," Jeremy told him.

"Good for her," Damon said, the sarcasm still in his tone. "It keeps her as far away from the big bad vampires as possible."

"Damon! This isn't funny, okay!?" Jeremy growled. "She doesn't know about vampires, or any other kind of supernatural creature, so you can cut the sarcasm!"

Damon raised his eyebrow. "She doesn't? Then, how the hell does she know about me if she doesn't know about vampires?"

"She told me that she only holds a grudge against the Salvatore that burned down her childhood home. No mention of the word vampire in that sentence, now was there?" Jeremy asked in a frustrated tone.

"It may not have been mentioned, but it may have been implied," Damon said. "And I burned that house down for a reason, Jeremy. Your little friend, Allison, comes from the family that used me as a guinea pig between 1953 and 1958. Do I regret it? Hell no. Would I do it again? You bet your ass I would, because you know by now that if you push me, I WILL retaliate…in spades!"

"Damon!" Elena's voice hissed from the doorway of their bedroom.

Damon turned to see Elena standing in the doorway. "I'll call you later, Jeremy." He quickly hung up the phone and met his girlfriend's eyes. "How much of that did you hear?"

"Only the part about you burning down some girl's childhood home," she replied. "Damon, what's going on? Is there something you're not telling me? You know you can be honest with me."

"It was a long time ago, Lena. Back before I even came back to Mystic Falls," Damon told her.

"Still, I'd like to know," Elena said. "You were always honest and upfront with me, which is why I chose you over Stefan. I know that it was a long time ago and you think you're protecting me by keeping it from me, but I'm a big girl, Damon, I can handle it. Whatever it was, you can tell me. I won't judge you, Damon, you know that." She approached him and gently took his hand in hers, squeezing it. "Just tell me."

Sighing, Damon eased her until she sat next to him. "Back in the years 1953 to 1958, I was one of the Augustine vampires, when they had funding from the Whitmore family to have their experiments on the campus," Damon told her.

Elena squeezed his hand a little tighter. "Does Stefan know about this?"

"No, I never told him," he replied. "At the time, we were estranged, so the odds of him coming to save me were slim to none." He sighed. "It was during that period that I met another vampire named Enzo, who was kept in the cell next to mine. He gave me most of his blood rations to help me with my getaway. I also gave him some of mine so that he wouldn't desiccate."

"Then what happened?"

"I finally did make my escape when Professor Whitmore held one of his demonstrations," Damon said. "Thanks to the extra blood Enzo gave me, I was able to overpower him and kill him, as well as everyone else in the room. During my massacre, I set the place on fire. Enzo begged me to help him, but the bars of the cage were laced with vervain and I couldn't bend them. So, I turned off my emotions and left him there."

"Have you been able to find this…Enzo that you speak of since then?" Elena asked.

Damon shook his head. "No. I thought he was dead."

She nodded. "Well, let's not worry about it right now, okay?" she said, giving him a soft smile.

Damon nodded and smiled at her as well. "Okay." He kissed her softly. "I love you, Elena."

"I love you too," she said then sped out of his arms and toward the closet/bathroom area.

Damon smirked when he saw where she was headed and, taking that as a cue to follow her, he sped over to her, wrapped his arms around from behind and, removing her hair from her neck, began kissing it gently. Elena felt what he was doing and laughed out loud. "Damon, what are you doing?"

He kissed her neck again, smiling against the skin. "What does it look like? I'm being affectionate with the lady vampire I love."

"Well, can we do this…oh, never mind," she said turning around and pulling his head down to crush their mouths together in a passionate kiss, one filled with demand and hunger and desperation. Damon smiled against her lips and returned her kiss, running his hands down her body, sticking them under her shirt and playfully grabbing her breasts and caressing them through her bra, growling as he felt the fabric under his hands. "Damon, please…don't tease me," she whimpered softly.

Damon licked his lips and chuckled. "Oh, no, we can't have that now, can we?"

Taking his hands out from under her shirt, he ripped it open and threw it to the floor, fully intending to buy her more like it, stepping back to take off his own shirt, throwing it to the floor by Elena's destroyed shirt, taking off her bra, and kissing her neck and removing her jeans and underwear, as well as his own, lowering her to the floor and spreading her legs, he stuck his member into her core, thrusting hard and fast into her, feeling her rock against his thrusts just as hard and fast.

Elena threw her head back, her hips rocking against his in the same hard, fast paces he was going in, matching him thrusts for thrust. Damon smirked as he kissed her neck, his fangs popping out and scraped one against her skin, hearing her moan as he did so. Elena then said, "Damn it, Damon, I told you not to tease me!"

"Right, sorry, couldn't help myself." He then kissed her neck one more time before biting her, slowly drinking from her. She did the same in return, biting into his shoulder harshly. Damon growled against her neck as he felt her fangs in his shoulder, thrusting harder against her. He then pulled out of her neck and licked up the excess blood with his tongue. "My beautiful angel…"

"Always," she said with a blood-covered grin on her face.

Chuckling, Damon kissed her lips, tasting his blood on them. Elena returned his kiss, tasting her blood on his lips as well, which was increasing the bond they had as lovers. She then wrapped her legs around his waist, rocking even more, keeping up with the speed of his thrusting.

**Two Hours Later**…

Elena resumed her earlier task of planning what to pack for the move to Italy, one of Damon's shirts adorning her body as she tapped her fingers on her chin. In the meantime, Damon was in the shower, smiling to himself as he thought back to what happened two hours ago. He always enjoyed it when they were intimate and knew that there would be plenty of opportunities for that in Italy. Once he was done, he climbed out then went to join her in the closet, where he picked out some clothes and returned to the bedroom to get dressed again. Elena then peered over her shoulder, watching him as he dressed, licking her lips. Was it her imagination, or did he look more attractive to her after they just had sex? "You're staring, Miss Gilbert. It's not nice to stare," he said over his shoulder.

Elena blushed when she heard him speak. "I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself. For some reason, you seem to be even sexier after we've just been intimate."

"Oh? Is this a good thing for you, or do you like it to be bad?" Damon asked as he peeled his shirt down over his chiseled chest.

Elena bit her lip. Damn him and that perfect body. "Well, I suppose it could be good, considering how deep my passion is for you."

"It is good for me too, because you balance that passion out with the love I feel with each kiss you press upon my lips," he said.

Elena panted then. "It's not hard when my boyfriend is as gorgeous as you."

**Author's Note:** So, here we are with the next update. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. The next one will probably start with finding Stefan, and will probably have Katherine do the searching. So…ENJOY!


	4. Chapter 4

**_Previously in "I'll Still Be Here", Jeremy meets Allison Whitmore and Damon opens up to Elena about a painful part of his past._**

**Chapter Four**

**New Orleans – Later**…

Hayley sat in front of her vanity mirror, brushing her hair. She wanted to look presentable for Elijah, though she knew that he'd say she looked beautiful in his eyes. Sighing softly, she placed her brush down and gently placed her hand on her belly. "What do you think about this, little one? Do you think Uncle Elijah is going to surprise me with something romantic?" she asked quietly. She only got a kick in response, making her laugh. "Yeah, you're probably right. I should wait and see what he's going to do."

She got up then left her bedroom, heading downstairs where she found Sage sitting on the counter of the kitchen island. The redhead smiled at her then said, "Hi, Hayley."

Hayley returned her smile as she said, "Hey, Sage. What are you doing?"

"Just hanging around, mostly," Sage replied. "I'd ask what you're doing, but would I be wrong in guessing that you're looking for Elijah?"

"You are very correct. Where might I find him?" Hayley asked.

"Oh, he, Finn, Rebekah and Niklaus decided to have a 'family meeting'," Sage replied.

Hayley raised an eyebrow then asked, "A 'family meeting'? Did they say about what, exactly?"

"I really don't know, probably something big."

"What…" Hayley started to ask, but Sage put her finger to her lips in a 'be quiet' motion then tucked her hair back behind her ear and listened to the conversation that was going on in the study. She could hear her boyfriend's frustrated back-and-forth pacing as his younger brother interrogated him.

Hayley joined the redhead in listening to the conversation. While she knew that spying wasn't nice, she was curious about what Finn, Elijah, Klaus, and Rebekah were talking about. "You still have not told us why you are back, Finnegan," Klaus said with a spiteful tone.

He and Finn had never gotten along, before AND after being turned into immortal creatures. Finn growled. "I know about your desire to take the city back from Marcellus, Niklaus, so I've come to help you."

"And the reason that the lovely lass who is listening to our conversation," Klaus called out loudly enough that Sage could hear him. She scowled in frustration then climbed down from the counter and looked at Hayley.

"I'm going for a walk. I'll be back later," she told the werewolf before heading out the back.

Hayley watched her go and sighed. Damn that Klaus. She only hoped that when Caroline arrived, he'd be easier to live with. Finn growled at his brother when he yelled at Sage then sped off after her, finding her down by the waterfront. "Sage, love, I didn't realize that you'd be listening to the conversation," he said, trying to apologize for his brother's actions.

But she simply held up her hand and put her fingers on his lips. "Your brother is more at fault than you are, Finn. I am only worried about you, and us, and our future here in the Quarter," she told him.

Finn nodded. "I know. I'm worried about that as well. I'm only hoping that Caroline can help. Niklaus needs to be redeemed and I think she's the one who can do that."

"I know you are and I hope that Caroline can be the one to tame the "wild beast" in your brother," Sage said. She stepped closer and brushed her lips over his softly.

Finn returned her kiss. "Judging from the way he spoke of her, I think she has a fighting chance."

Sage turned around in his arms and Finn smiled again then took her silent offer, wrapping his arms around his girlfriend's waist. Sage smiled and leaned against him, enjoying the moment between them. His lips kissed the side of her head with silent, tender affection, his hand intertwining with hers.

Back at the mansion, Caroline pulled into the driveway and when she saw the mansion in front of her, she smiled in amazement. It was almost like the one in Mystic Falls, only a bit bigger and more beautiful. Reaching over, she tugged gently on the handle of her car then stepped out, the heels on her shoes immediately making two soft thuds onto the gravel outside. Elijah looked out the window and smiled. "It looks like your guest has arrived, Niklaus."

"So it would seem," his brother said with a smirk before blurring out of the house and into the vision of Caroline, who started at the sight of the hybrid. "Did you miss me at all, love?"

Caroline didn't answer at first, but after a few minutes, she said, "As much as I hate to admit it, yes, I did. I guess you could say that my life was pretty boring after you left."

"I see. So, you find me a little more exciting than that small-town life?" he asked.

Caroline nodded. "Yes. As I said on the phone, you were right. The small town life wouldn't be enough for me."

"Well then; my love, let me show you what New Orleans has to offer," he said, turning until he was beside her and offering her his arm. Caroline took it and walked beside him into the mansion doorway, where he said softly in her ear, "Please, come into my humble abode, Caroline."

Caroline giggled and followed him into the mansion, marveling at the interior. "You have a very nice place here, Klaus. It's even more beautiful than the one you had in Mystic Falls."

"You better not say that to my brother Finn. He has plans for that home," Klaus said.

"He does?" Caroline said. "What does Finn plan to do with it?" She didn't wait for him to answer and then said, "Wait a minute, isn't he supposed to be dead?"

"He was dead," Klaus said. "But, by some miracle, he's alive again, and so is that redhead he fancies."

Caroline heard the disappointment in his voice. "You don't sound too happy about it."

"That's because I'm not," Klaus said. "Finn and I haven't gotten along very well, both before and after our mother made us what we are."

"Right," Caroline said. "Because you had never supported his relationship with Sage, since you thought she wasn't good enough for your brother?"

Klaus nodded then said, "Exactly. I thought he was wasting his time with a girl like that, but Finn, being every bit the romantic that he was, told me that it wasn't my place telling him who he should or shouldn't be with."

"I'd hate to say it, but I agree with him," Caroline said. "You can take this however you want, but I think that if Sage makes him happy then let them be together. The heart wants what the heart wants, Klaus, and Finn's heart obviously wants Sage. Instead of being against them, you should at least try to be supportive of them."

"Love is a weakness and we should not succumb to it, Caroline! Finn doesn't deserve to have her love! She only held him back, pulled him away from his family," Klaus said in a vindictive tone.

Caroline pulled back from him, crossing her arms. "Oh, really now? You didn't view it as a weakness when it came to me! What was it you said to me after the barrier spell was lifted from Elena's house? You showed kindness, forgiveness, pity and all because of me? So, I think you shouldn't view it as a weakness for your brother and Sage!

"She's right, Niklaus. For once, I have to side with someone else," Finn's voice said from the doorway. Behind him stood Sage, wearing the same ravished look that the eldest Original sibling wore. Caroline then noticed that Finn's shirt was pulled out from the waist of his jeans, half tucked in and half tucked out.

Caroline gave them both a knowing smile and then looked at Klaus, her smile fading to a stern look. "I realize that your family is important to you, and there's nothing wrong with that. But, if I'm going to be part of your family, then there are going to be times when we're going to disagree on certain things, like this." Klaus huffed then stomped out of the living room, speeding off upstairs. Caroline gave the other couple a quick concerned look then rushed off after him. She found him in his room, obviously still angry from what she told him. Instantly feeling guilty, she carefully approached him, saying softly, "Klaus?"

"Have you come to chastise me some more?"

"No," she replied. "I've come to say I was sorry for scolding you. I care about, really I do, and I didn't mean to get you upset like that. I just wanted you to see my point." She sighed. "In fact, I'll understand if you don't want me to be here after what happened."

"Please, don't go," he said in a soft tone. He turned around and Caroline noticed that he had one tear streaking down his cheek.

Seeing that tear really made her feel guilty and she went over to him, hugging him. "Don't cry, please, I'm not going anywhere. I really am sorry for scolding you."

He hugged her tightly to him, chin resting on her shoulder. "Today is the day that…" he said in a solemn whisper.

Caroline rubbed his back in a soothing manner. "Hush, its okay, you don't have to explain," she said softly.

Klaus nodded. "I'm glad you're here, Caroline. You have no idea how much I appreciate this."

"You don't have to thank me," she said. "There's nothing for me in Mystic Falls anymore; my home is here now."

He nodded then stepped back. "I'm sorry for my angry outburst earlier," he tried to apologize, but she shook her head.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," she said. "You should really apologize to Finn." She lifted her index finger when she saw he was about to protest. "Ah, ah, that's an order, mister. It's time you put the past behind you and focused on the future. Isn't that what your…I mean, our daughter would want?"

"No," he replied. He did as she asked, walking downstairs in a normal pace, finding Finn and Sage talking quietly, but he could see tears in the redhead's eyes, so he knew it was kind of bad to interrupt them.

However, Finn sensed him and looked at him. "What do you want, Niklaus? Have you come to make things worse?"

"No, brother," he replied. "I've actually come to make amends. I treated you unfairly and I know you don't want to hear it, but I am deeply sorry for anything I might have said or done to cause this tension between us."

"Your apology is accepted, brother," Finn said with a smile then gave Klaus a brief hug before stepping back. Klaus nodded then left his brother and the woman he'd sired alone, with Finn once again turning to her.

Sage smiled. "I'm guessing that Caroline is already working her magic on him."

"I think so," Finn said. "She got Niklaus to apologize to us."

"She did. But, Finn, what did you want to talk to me about before he interrupted us? I know you're concerned for our future here…" she started to say, but he mimicked her earlier motion, pressing his fingers over her lips to gently silence her.

**Back in Mystic Falls**…

Damon had a determined look on his face as he went out to his Camaro. He wanted to find Stefan, who had been missing since the summer. The last time he was seen was before he went to drop the safe containing Silas' shattered remains in the quarry, where he would never be found. While it was true he wanted to move to Italy with Elena, Damon didn't want to leave without at least trying to find his brother.

Before he got into his car, Damon dialed a familiar number, waiting until the person that it belonged to picked up to say, "Hello?"

"Long time, no talk," Damon responded quickly.

"Damon, to what do I owe the favor of this call?" Katherine Pierce asked from her end. She held the phone between her shoulder and her ear as she balanced a tumbler of bourbon and some darts, throwing one dart at a time after putting down her glass.

"I need you to help me find Stefan," Damon said. "He hasn't been seen since he left town to dispose of Silas' remains."

"And where was this?" Katherine asked, throwing another dart at the dart board.

"The quarry," Damon said. "There's a lake there that's deep enough to bury something you don't want to see again."

"I see," Katherine said. "So, that's the last place Stefan was?"

"Yeah," Damon said. "Something tells me his efforts to get rid of Silas went south. But, the only way to know for sure is to search the quarry and see what happens."

"Where do you want to meet me?" Katherine asked.

"I'll come to you. I need to do this without Elena knowing," Damon said, climbing into his Camaro then started the engine and peeled gently out of the garage portion of the boardinghouse.

Katherine smirked on her end then said, "Ooh, a secret mission. Sounds like fun. Very well, I'm here at the Grill. You can't miss me; I'm the cute brunette playing darts."

Damon rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'll be there in about five minutes."

"Can't wait," his sire said before hanging up the phone and putting it back into her pocket. Her head turned to look at her companion when they heaved a sigh. "Oh, relax…he doesn't know that I've already found you. So, now, we have to hide you."

"Damon's not stupid, you know, Katherine. He's going to find out that you're lying."

"I know he's not," she replied. "But, for now, we have to make it look like you're still lost."

He sighed again then did as she asked, heading toward the back, where he remained out of sight of Damon but still in sight so that he could keep an eye on Katherine. Five minutes later, as promised, Damon walked into the Grill, where he found Katherine by the dart board. She smiled at him when he approached her. "Right on time…Good, I knew you were a man of your word."

"Will you stop with the flirting? You know that I'm with Elena."

Katherine pouted. "Well, you can't blame a gal for trying, right?"

"You know that I can just as easily have Sheriff Forbes help me instead."

"You mean, the Blondie's mom?" Katherine asked. "Oh, right, I forget that you're still friends with her. I mean, after all, you did hurt her at one point…and you played the horizontal tango with her only child."

"Will you please not bring that up?" Damon said. "That wasn't my finest hour, you know. I was in a bad place when I made Blondie my human blood bag and I don't think I need to remind you of who was responsible for that."

"Poor little Damon…always wanting to find the right woman after me, but never quite getting there," Katherine said with a smirk. "Oh, that's right. You did find that special woman, and she's my doppelganger. She was also responsible for shoving Silas' CURE down my throat!"

Damon growled and grabbed her neck none too gently. "And unless you want me to crush that same throat, I suggest you don't say anything about Elena, got it?"

"Got it," she ground out, her voice hoarse from the way he was holding her down.

Damon let go of her throat. "Come on, let's get going. I want to do this while there's still daylight." Katherine nodded and cleared her throat as she followed him out of the Grill to the awaiting Camaro.

After they were gone, Stefan finally came out of his hiding place in the Grill, where he was soon nearly colliding with Jeremy. "Stefan…? Or is it Silas?"

Stefan lifted his wrist and bit into it with his fangs. "Would Silas do that, or this?" he asked, both guys watching as it healed.

Jeremy shook his head. "No." Curiously, he added, "But, I don't get it. Damon and Katherine are out looking for you. Why are you here?"

Stefan sighed. "Katherine doesn't want Damon to know she already found me, so she's leading him on a wild goose chase."

"But…oh, now I get it. She's still in love with you, isn't she?" Jeremy asked.

Stefan sighed and nodded. "Unfortunately, yes."

Jeremy whistled low. "Damon isn't going to be happy when he finds out he's been tricked."

"Yeah, I figured as much. Which is why I'm going to need your help," Stefan said.

Jeremy nodded. "Sure, Stefan…What do you need me to do?"

"First, I need to find someplace to hide out that isn't in Mystic Falls, or anywhere close to where I can come into contact with your sister/cousin," Stefan replied.

Jeremy nodded. "Well, there are plenty of abandoned hunting cabins in the woods you can use or you can go to the lake house."

Stefan immediately shook his head. "The lake house won't work for me, Jeremy. That was one of the places I was with your sister," he told the hunter.

"Right, forgot about that, sorry." He got an idea. "What about the place you had in Chicago? I doubt you'll come into contact with Elena there."

"Only one problem, Jeremy, I did. She and Damon went to look for me there."

Jeremy nodded again as he began to wipe down the tables in the Grill. "Okay. What about the old Mikaelson mansion?"

Stefan raised an eyebrow. "What about it?"

"You can hide out there," Jeremy said. "No one's lived there since Klaus moved to New Orleans. I think you'll be safe there."

"That's actually not a bad idea. Thanks, Jeremy," Stefan said, clapping the hunter on the shoulder before blurring out to head to the mansion.

Jeremy nodded as he watched him go. Then, more to himself than anyone else, he said, "You're welcome."

"Who are you talking to, yourself?" a familiar voice said from behind him and he whirled around, literally coming face to face with Allison. Because he was startled by her presence, Jeremy managed to drop one of the glasses he'd been cleaning and it shattered right at his and Allison's feet.

Jeremy let a curse slip past his lips as he knelt down to start cleaning up his mess. "Allison, you scared me," he said once he was at eye level with her again. "And, no, I was actually talking to my friend, who left in a big hurry."

"You mean the guy with the sandy blonde hair? I figured that's who you were talking to, but not after he left," Allison said, and was reaching for the mess of the glass in his hands, crying out in pain when she cut the palm of her hand on one of the shards.

Jeremy heard her cry and quickly took her to the kitchen, where he found a First Aid Kit. He first cleaned her wound with peroxide and then, after applying ointment on it, he wrapped it in a bandage. "Here you go, all fixed."

"Thanks, Jeremy," Allison said. "I'm sorry I just reached for the glass like that."

"We all make mistakes," he replied. "That's how we learn."

She smiled shyly at him, biting gently on her bottom lip. Jeremy found himself leaning closer to her upon seeing that action, and he brought one hand up to caress her cheek gently while bringing his head down closer to hers. "Jeremy…" she said softly.

Before he could stop himself, Jeremy captured her lips in a tender kiss. Allison returned it, moaning against his lips and enjoying the feeling that was coming off of him. Jeremy deepened the kiss slowly then walked her backward toward the counter, where he gently picked her up by her waist and put her on top of the said counter. Allison gently ran her hands through his hair, shivering as she felt his hands on her. Although she wasn't expecting this, she didn't stop it from happening. Jeremy suddenly pulled back, shaking his head. "I can't do this," he said.

Allison grabbed the back of his head. "Jeremy, it's okay. We can do this. You were enjoying what we were doing, right? So, there's nothing to be ashamed of. We were giving in to what was growing between us since we met."

"It's…been a while for me. My last girlfriend ended things because I'd kissed a girlfriend before her, but we eventually reconciled…and then she recently died, so I'm not really sure if I'm ready for this," he said.

"Its okay, we can take it slow," Allison said. "I'm not in a hurry. I really like you, Jeremy."

"I really like you too, and slow it is," he said, giving her a soft smile.

**Author's Note:** Okay, so this hasn't gotten too well of a response as some of my other fan fictions collaborations with Erin have, but I hope that you come to read this one!


	5. Chapter 5

**_Previously in "I'll Still Be Here", Jeremy meets Allison Whitmore and Damon opens up to Elena about a painful part of his past._**

**Chapter Five**

**New Orleans – The Following Evening**…

Hayley emerged from the limousine that she was sure Elijah had sent for her, letting the heels on her feet come to meet with the concrete sidewalk beneath the wheels of the limo. She wobbled for a second in them then caught herself before letting her hands smooth down the length of the dress she wore, smoothing out the wrinkles. Hayley then looked at the place the limo had brought her to, placing her hand on her belly. "I'll say this for Uncle Elijah…he sure knows how to pick a place." That being said, she went toward the entrance, not sure what she'd be in for, but anticipating it at the same time. When she got inside, she looked around for Elijah and grew worried when she didn't see him at first. And then she felt someone gently drape a blindfold over the upper half of her face. No sooner did the blindfold get put over her eyes than Hayley felt a pair of lips caress the bare skin of her neck, very familiar lips. "E…Elijah?"

His hand gently cupped the back of her neck and Hayley let it arch into his touch. "Yes, my love, it is me," he said in a hoarse voice. Hayley let her eyes drift closed at the sound of his voice, shivering at the same time. Turning in his arms, she reached up with one hand to remove the blindfold then pressed her lips to his, crushing them to his in an urgent, passionate kiss. Elijah returned her kiss without hesitation, gently pulling her close and being mindful of her belly. He then brought one of his hands up to caress her cheek as the kiss deepened. He pulled back after a few minutes and looked at her, a smile on his face. "You look beautiful tonight, Hayley."

"I have your sister, Caroline and Sage to thank for everything," Hayley replied with a shy look down at her feet.

Elijah saw her look at her feet and gently lifted her chin to make her meet his gaze. "Well, I'll make it a point to thank them later." He kissed her softly. "Come, let us get this evening started, shall we?"

"Let's," she said in agreement. "But, first…" Leaning until her hands could come into contact with her ankles and unwrapping the strap that was twined around her ankle, Hayley removed first one of her heels and then the other one, letting the straps be tied together as she placed them over one shoulder. "That's one of the things I hate about being pregnant," she said. "The damn swelling of my ankles…" She let out a sigh. "Don't get me wrong, I like the fact that Caroline, Sage and Rebekah gave me those shoes, but I just can't stand my ankles swelling up the way they do."

"I can understand why. They will get a massage later," Elijah told her.

Hayley smiled at him. "Thank you, Elijah. I'd like that."

"It's no problem, Hayley," he said, giving her a smile in return. Hayley giggled and kissed him again before taking his arm and letting him lead her toward the table he had reserved for them. It wasn't often, for Hayley at least, when a guy like Elijah came along in her life…but she was happy for the first time in months since coming to New Orleans. Elijah led her to the table, pulling out her chair for her and pushing her in before taking his seat across from her, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles. "I couldn't stop thinking about you, Hayley. I couldn't wait to see you tonight."

"I figured as much, after I found this dress lying across the duvet of my bed at the mansion. By the way, you made an excellent selection. How did you know that this was my favorite color?" she asked.

Elijah smiled at her. "A gentleman always makes it a point to know what the lady he fancies likes."

"Oh, so is that the term for it? When you like someone, I mean? You and your siblings use the word 'fancy'?" Hayley asked.

"Yes, it is," Elijah said. "Unless, you prefer that I use a different term?"

"No, no, you don't have to change it on my account," Hayley said. "I was just curious, that's all. And I think it's sweet."

"Thank you," Elijah replied. A waiter then asked if they wanted anything to drink and Elijah said, "A glass of wine for me and a sparkling cranberry juice for the lady."

The waiter nodded and placed some menus down for the two before going to put in their drink order. Hayley smiled at him before picking up her menu, letting a giggle escape, which caused him to look at her. She met his gaze and another giggle came out. "I'm sorry. I'm just not used to be treated like this. Nobody has ever done this for me before."

"I'd be happy to spoil you every chance I get, Hayley. Because you deserve it," he said, smiling at her then leaned closer and let his lips brush gently over hers, barely a whispered touch.

Hayley smiled and returned his kiss. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Elijah said, smiling against her lips.

As they pulled away, Hayley felt a kick and placed her hand on her belly. "She's certainly a happy little girl tonight." Grabbing his hand, she placed hers on top of his. "Here, feel it."

Elijah did as she asked, grinning when he felt the flutter of feet moving beneath his hand. "That is very amazing, and you're right…she's very happy," he told the werewolf.

Hayley smiled. "She's happy because her mo…" She was going to say "her mommy", but then remembered Klaus saying earlier that he and Caroline were going to raise the baby together. "Well, she's happy because I'm happy."

"You were going to say 'her mommy', weren't you, Hayley? Because, you know, I talked to Niklaus…and he's willing to co-parent, where it will be you, me, him and Miss Forbes raising the child as a group," Elijah told her.

Hayley raised an eyebrow. "Really…he agreed to that?"

"That is what we were discussing the other day, when we were also discussing the return of my brother Finn," Elijah told her.

Hayley then remembered what he was talking about. "Oh, was that why you asked me to give the two of you privacy?"

"Yes," he replied, "I didn't mean to exclude you, but it was a family matter."

"Its okay, I understand. You're allowed to have your private discussions with your family," Hayley said. "I was just curious." Just then, the waiter came over to ask what they wanted and Hayley was quick to say, "I'll have a T-bone steak, rare, and instead of the baked potato that comes with it, I'll have fries." She saw the look Elijah was giving her. "What? That's what the baby wants."

He only chuckled, maintaining his hold on her hand. "The cravings would've come sooner or later, I'm just glad that they came now," he said.

Hayley smiled. "I guess so."

"I know so," he said, smiling back.

Hayley nodded and after Elijah put his order in, she sipped her drink and it was quiet before she said, "That promise you made about helping me find my family, were you serious about that?"

"I was very serious, Hayley. I _will_ help you find your family," Elijah replied.

"Thank you, Elijah," Hayley said. "You have no idea how much this means to me. I've been searching for my family for years and haven't been successful. Which is why I was willing to continue the search when Klaus said they were here in New Orleans when he saw the crescent on my back."

Elijah nodded. "And now you have someone that can help you in your search, which I will do," he told her.

Hayley nodded. "Thank you, Elijah. I really don't know what I did to deserve you, but I can see it was worth it."

"For me too," he said, leaning over and kissing her one more time. It wasn't long before their food was brought out and Hayley started eating her steak, licking her lips as she enjoyed the taste of the juices.

Elijah watched her with a knowing smirk but also with a curious look. Hayley looked at him and noticed that he was watching her. "What? You look as though you've never seen a wolf eat her food before."

Elijah chuckled. "You must be enjoying it then if it's good," he said.

"Oh, yeah, this is delicious," Hayley said. "It's especially good for the baby."

"Good. Maybe after dinner, I'll treat you two to some ice cream," he said.

Hayley giggled. "That sounds good."

He smiled. "Alright, ice cream it is then," he said with another smile.

Hayley giggled again. "I can't wait."

"Me either," Elijah replied. Hayley smiled and went back to eating her steak and fries, which she dipped in the juices from her meat.

**Later**…

Elijah held one of Hayley's hands while both of their free hands held an ice cream cone as they both licked away the vanilla ice cream. Hayley giggled as she licked the ice cream, dipping her finger in and smearing some onto Elijah's nose. "That wasn't very nice, Miss Marshall. Perhaps I should return the favor…" he said, using his hand to wipe the ice cream off and then licked his hand clean before doing what he said he would.

Hayley squealed at the coldness of the ice cream. Back in Mystic Falls, Meghan arrived at the Lockwood mansion, Meredith and T.J. at her side. She was nervous as a bride on her wedding night, but she knew this had to be done. Her slender hand came up and she knocked gently on the glass partition of the front door. After a few minutes, Tyler came to the door and opened it, seeing the two women. "Meghan? Is that you?"

"Hey you…" Meghan said with a shy smile at him.

Tyler smiled at her. "How have you been? I heard you just got back into town."

"Yeah, about that…there's a reason I came back to town," she said before turning and that's when Tyler noticed the little boy with HIS dark hair standing at knee height to the three adults.

Upon seeing the little boy, Tyler looked at Meghan curiously then asked, "Meghan, who's this?"

Meghan smiled. "This is our son. I named him after you. His full name is Tyler James Lockwood, Jr., but we call him T.J. for short."

"We…we have a son?" Tyler asked. Tears sprang to his eyes, but Meghan then noticed something brewing beneath the surface in his eyes, still trained on her.

Turning to her sister, she eased T.J. into his aunt's arms and nodded toward the car. Meredith nodded back and took the toddler back to the car, where she put him back in his car seat then got in herself, locking them both inside. Meghan, back on the porch, stepped toward Tyler but was pushed back. She gave him an angry glare then pushed him harder, this time forcefully, back into the house, closing the door behind her to give them privacy. "Now, Tyler, I know you're angry at me, but you don't get to get angry at our son, or in front of him, got it?"

"You think I'm angry? More like disappointed," Tyler said. "I think I would've liked to have known that I have a son. I barely have a family anymore. My uncle is dead and so are my parents. Meghan, why the hell didn't you tell me you were pregnant? I would've been there for you!"

"I left before I could get up the courage to tell you. I hate myself every day for being a coward and running away," she said, tears springing to her eyes as she turned away to wipe them away with her hands.

Seeing her cry made him feel guilty for yelling and Tyler forced himself to calm down. "I'm sorry, Meghan, I didn't mean to yell at you."

"No. I'm sorry for not telling you about him sooner. Neither of you deserved to be kept in the dark," she said quietly, still standing with her back to him.

Tyler crossed over to where she stood, turning her around and wrapping his arms around her waist as he knelt to let his head rest on her now-flat stomach. "I'm the one who should still be sorry. I forced you into running off after our fight two years ago," he said softly, his words muffled by the material of her shirt.

_**Two Years Earlier**…_

_"I'm tired of waiting, Tyler! Tired…why can't we even stop pretending to have all these meetings and not be able to act on our feelings? I mean, why do we have to even sneak around?" Meghan asked as she paced back and forth in the interior of her lover's home._

_Tyler growled at her. "I told you, Meghan, it's complicated. I know you want more than this, and believe me, I want to give you more, but I just…there's something in the way right now."_

_"But, why do we always have to let complications stand in the way of our relationship?" Meghan choked out quietly._

_"I don't have an answer for that, Meghan," Tyler said. "I wish I did, but I don't." He sighed. "I'm sorry, but I just…can't explain it."_

_"What are you trying to say, Tyler?" Meghan asked. "Don't you love me? I love you! You're the best thing that has ever happened to me, can't you see that?" He didn't answer so Meghan sniffled before turning and heading to the door, only to have it pushed shut when she tried to open it._

_"Don't. Don't leave like this, okay? You will be in some kind of accident, and I don't want to lose you…" Tyler said softly, turning her back around and feeling horribly when he saw the tears pooling at the corners of her dark mocha brown eyes. Tyler mentally kicked himself when he saw her tears, knowing that he caused them. "Oh, Meghan, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry."_

_"Then, why did you? I've done nothing but love you, and this is what I get in return?"_

_"I'm sorry. I just…please don't leave," he pleaded, getting down on his knees in front of her. "See? I'm even on my knees for you."_

_"Tyler…" she said softly, but he cut her off when he stood back up then crushed his mouth to hers to effortlessly silent her with a deep and ravenous kiss, plunging his tongue deep into the honeysuckle sweet caverns between her lips before tangling it with hers._

_Meghan returned his kiss, moaning against his mouth as she reached her hands up to his face, framing it as the kiss deepened. Tyler then turned them around, walking Meghan backwards toward the couch, which was where he fell gently on top of her onto the cushions and let one hand sneak up underneath the material of her shirt before sitting her up to tug it gently up and over her head, revealing the not-so-demure bra she wore. Tyler pulled away from her lips, looking at her. "So beautiful…"_

_Her hands moved up his chest then tugged none too gently at the collar of it, ripping it open without unbuttoning it. Then she was parting the material, pushing it back over his shoulders until he removed it the rest of the way. "Not as sexy as you," she countered in a husky tone._

_Tyler growled playfully at her and kissed her passionately, reaching behind her to unhook her bra. Meghan lowered the straps down her arms and tossed it over to the other side of the room before flipping them both over until she was the one on top. Tyler smiled against her lips. "I love it when you're on top, Meghan."_

_"Don't ruin it, okay?" she said as she began to strip away the remainder of their clothes._

_Tyler nodded and replied, "Yes, ma'am."_

_She smirked then glided herself over him until her walls were clenching around his member, gripping it in a vice-like manner. "Now do you love it when I'm on top?" she asked._

_"Oh, definitely," Tyler said. "You can be on top as much as you want, baby."_

_"Well, when you put it that way…" she said with another smirk before pushing him deeper into her, her knees pressing into the cushions on either side of his lean, muscled hips._

_Tyler growled against her lips and thrust against her, grabbing her hips and feeling her movements under his hands._

**Present Day**…

"Do you see why we had to stay away from each other now?" Meghan asked quietly, her slender hands moving gently through his hair.

Tyler sighed. "Yes, but now, I'm not letting you go ever again. I want to know our son, Meghan. I know I've missed out on a bit, but I think it's time he knows his father."

"That's why I came home. I wanted him to get to know you and vice versa," Meghan said.

Tyler nodded. "Good. I don't want to miss out on any more. You can tell Meredith to bring him in."

Nodding, Meghan left the mansion then went out to the car, where she said to her sister, "He's ready."

Her sister smiled then unlocked the doors of the car so Meghan could get T.J. out of the back seat before taking him up to the house, where Tyler waited in the doorway. As he saw his son come toward him, Tyler smiled, his eyes glistening with tears. T.J. was the most adorable child he had ever seen and he reminded him of himself at that age. In fact, he wished Richard, Carol and Mason were alive so that they could meet him too. "Hi there, T.J.," he said with a smile. "I'm your father."

Meghan looked at T.J. "Its okay, you can say hi."

T.J. looked at Tyler, a smile on his little face as he said, "Hi…Daddy."

"Hi there, little man," Tyler said with a smile.

T.J. then reached over for Tyler, who took him and began hugging him. The toddler returned his father's hug, while Tyler reached up and ran his fingers through his hair. Meghan continued to watch them then turned away, tears in her eyes. Tyler noticed this and set T.J. down before walking over to Meghan and turned her back around, wiping her tears away. "I'm sorry for what I did…" she said quietly, but he silenced her with a soft, passionate kiss.

"You don't have to keep apologizing. He's here, and I'm getting to know him; that's all I care about," he told her after breaking off the kiss.

Meghan smiled through her tears. "You're right, you are getting to know our son, and I shouldn't keep apologizing. I should focus on getting reconnected with the person that means the world to me, which is you."

**Author's Note:** Wow, what a chapter…filled with intensity and a little bit of drama. I hope you enjoyed it anyway, and you'll come back soon!


	6. Chapter 6

**_Previously in "I'll Still Be Here", Tyler reunites with Meghan and gets to know his son._**

**Chapter Six**

Stefan looked around at the interior of the old Mikaelson mansion, finding it hard to believe it was still standing and in such good condition too. Still, it seemed like the best place to keep himself hidden. He turned when he sensed a presence nearby then walked to the front door, opening it again and spotting the last person he expected to see that day for a second time. "It's always nice to see you, Katherine, but why the sudden need to help me?"

"Are you kidding me right now, Stefan? I'd always be the one to want to help you, no matter what the situation is," she replied with a smirk. "Now…do I get a kiss from my favorite Salvatore brother or do I have to wrestle it out of you?"

He chuckled then stepped into his part of the doorway. "Please, Katerina Petrova, come in," he said softly. She smiled then stepped into the house, where Stefan embraced her, backing her into the wall next to the doorway.

"Ooh, someone's eager," she said with another smirk.

Stefan returned her smirk. "You know it." He kissed her softly. "How did you get away from Damon? You two were headed to the quarry before."

"We drove separately, so I told him I needed to get something from the car once we got there, but ended up driving off to head here," she replied.

Stefan shook his head. "Damon is going to be furious when he gets to the quarry and you're not there."

"Damon is moving to Italy, did he tell you that?" Katherine remarked, stepping back from Stefan's hold on her and walking further into the interior of the Mikaelson mansion.

Stefan raised an eyebrow. "No. How could Damon tell me something like that when you're hiding me from him?"

"Well, he is. And he's taking his favorite person with him." Katherine makes a face when she refers to Elena but continues to walk around the mansion.

Stefan went after her. "Whoa, whoa, Damon and Elena are moving to Italy? When did they decide this?"

"My best guess is it was after Bon Bon's funeral," Katherine said. "You know how emotional my doppelganger can be when it comes to her friends, and to make her feel better, Damon suggested moving to Italy so that she doesn't have to stay where her loved ones have died."

"I still don't get it. Are you positive that's what they agreed on?" Stefan asked.

"I live at the boardinghouse, under Damon's protection. The walls aren't exactly able to keep voices from floating out, Stefan," Katherine told him.

Stefan raised an eyebrow. "He's letting you live at the boardinghouse?"

"In case you haven't noticed, Stefan, I'm not a vampire anymore. I'm vulnerable now, so yes, I need protection. Damon may be angry toward me, but deep down, he's every bit the kitten he was when we knew each other in 1864."

"Still, if you need someone to…lean on, I'll gladly be there," Stefan told her.

Katherine smiled at him. 'Thank you, Stefan." She kissed him softly. "I knew I could count on you."

He smirked. "How about we table this discussion for now and have a little bit of fun?"

Katherine giggled. "That definitely sounds like a plan to me, Stefan."

He grinned even bigger then sped them off upstairs into one of the bedrooms, where he gently tossed her down onto the rumpled bedcovers and moved over her gently, kissing her softly and passionately. Katherine returned Stefan's kiss and pulled his shirt up over his head, tossing it to the floor and running her hands across his bare chest.

Stefan returned the favor by stripping away the blouse and leggings she wore, leaving her scantily clad in a barely there lace bra and underwear set. Katherine smirked at him and undid the belt, button and zipper of his jeans, throwing them by the rest of their clothes. "I'm going to enjoy this."

"Not as much as I am," Stefan said as he then ripped her underwear and bra away before leaning down to close his mouth around one of the tender, aching orbs on her chest.

Katherine moaned as she felt his lips on her breast. "Oh, Stefan…"

"You like that? How about this then?" he asked as he let one hand drift down her side until it was stroking into her moist folds, his hand pushing deeper when she arched her hips into his touch.

Katherine felt what he was doing and panted heavily, letting out a scream of pleasure. She liked this side of Stefan, she really did. Where had it been this whole time? Perhaps he learned a few tricks over the century since he was turned.

Pushing on his chest, Katherine rolled them over until she was the one on top. "I do like it, but now it's my turn to have my fun," she said.

Stefan smiled. "Have all the fun you want, Katherine."

"Good. I will," she said with a smirk as she then glided herself onto his hard member, her walls clenching around it in a vice-like grip. She lowered herself further down onto it until he was buried to the hilt inside of her.

Stefan groaned happily and began to thrust against her. Katherine moved her hips as well, moaning quietly as the thrusts picked up in speed and tandem before she gasps in surprise when Stefan suddenly blurs them into the nearest wall, thrusting furiously in and out of her. "How does it feel, Katherine? You feeling good right now, hmm?" he asked with a smirk.

"Fu…harder, Stefan…deeper," she moaned out. "More!"

Stefan nodded and kissed her passionately, grinding his hard body against hers, lifting her hands and holding them over her head.

**Two Hours Later**…

Katherine woke up to her phone ringing and she quickly reached out and picked it up then answered it, "Hello?"

"Katherine, Katherine, Katherine…always the trickster," Damon's voice on the other end said. "Where is my brother!?"

Katherine panicked slightly. Judging from his tone, he must've found the safe and didn't find anyone inside it. "He wasn't in the safe?"

"No, he wasn't," he replied. "And I have a pretty good idea of why. You have him, don't you? You found him first and you've been keeping him from me this whole time, haven't you?"

"Okay! Fine, you caught me. Yes, I pulled him out of the safe, Damon. Are you happy now?" Katherine sneered at him through the phone.

Damon rolled his eyes, even though she couldn't see it through the phone. "Where are you? I want to see my brother."

"Well, you'll have to ask some other day. I want him for today," she said before ending the call and turning off her phone.

Stefan stared at her. "You know that's only going to make him angry, right?"

"Yeah, I figured. But, I haven't had you to myself for a while, Stefan. I also know that I have to turn you over to your brother," Katherine said as she held her phone firmly in her slender hand.

Stefan nodded and pulled her closer to him. "Maybe you won't have to."

"What? Stefan, your brother has been out of his mind worrying about you," she replied. "And so has my doppelganger, Elena, who is clueless that Damon has gone searching for you by himself, once again."

"Elena doesn't know that he went to search for me?" Stefan asked.

Katherine shook her head. "No, she doesn't."

"Why would Damon keep that from her? Doesn't he trust her?"

"I'm not really sure why he didn't tell her. He was the one that said it, not me," Katherine replied.

"Still, it's not right," Stefan said. "Elena is going to be furious if she finds out she's been deceived. She's a lot like Damon in that regard."

"Well then, I shall call her," Katherine said, turning her phone back on and dialing Elena's cell phone number.

**Salvatore Boardinghouse**…

Elena heard her phone ring and looked at the screen, seeing Katherine's number. Unsure why she would be calling, she pressed SEND and put the phone to her ear. "What do you want, Katherine?"

Katherine pouted, even though she couldn't see it. "Awe, that's not nice, Elena. I expected better phone manners from you."

"Just tell me why you're calling before I hang up on you."

"Okay, since you asked so nicely, I'll tell you," Katherine said. "That loving boyfriend of yours hasn't exactly been upfront with you about his activities, and that includes looking for his brother and not telling you about it."

"What?" Elena said. "Damon is looking for Stefan and he's not telling me? Why? I thought he would be upfront with me about everything?"

"I'd give him a call if I were you, Elena. Maybe then you'll change your mind about that little move you're making halfway across the world," Katherine said before ending the call and turning her phone off a second time.

Elena put her phone down, thinking about what Katherine said. After thinking about it, she dialed Damon's number and after he picked up, she said, "When were you going to tell me you were looking for Stefan?"

"Elena…" he started to say but Elena cut him off.

"No, Damon. I'm sick of the sneaking around and the lying. You want to know who told me that you were looking for Stefan?" she asked. "Katherine did, Damon. Katherine was the person who told me."

"Of course Katherine would tell you that, Elena," Damon said. "She was the one who found him."

"What?"

"Yeah, she already found Stefan," Damon said. "To make matters worse, she's been hiding him so that she can have him all to herself. That's how Katherine operates, Elena. So, before you start accusing me of lying to you, you might want to consider your primary suspect."

"We're done, Damon. Good bye," Elena said through gritted teeth before she ended the call.

Damon growled as she hung up on him. Damn that Katherine, this was her fault. Though, part of the blame was mostly on himself for lying to Elena. In fact, he couldn't help but be reminded of what happened on Elena's eighteenth birthday. He had lied to her and had gone to find Stefan on his own, mostly because she was still human at the time and he didn't want her to get hurt. It was that same night that he lost Andie, the reporter he was distracting himself with. Even though he didn't love the woman, her loss still affected him. Looking up toward the sky, he said, "Ric, buddy, wherever you are, I screwed up. You told me not to screw things up with Elena and guess what? I screwed up…royally."

Alaric, who is next to Damon, gives the vampire a sympathetic smile even though he knows that Damon can't see him and says, "Yeah, you need to learn to remember that truth works great in relationships."

Knowing that he couldn't see Alaric next to him, Damon sighed. "How the hell am I going to fix this? I love Elena so much."

"Don't keep the lies up," Alaric coached him, even though Damon couldn't see him.

Damon ran his fingers through his hair. "I don't want to lie to her anymore. I've done enough of that to last me five centuries."

Alaric smiled. "Good. She needs you now more than ever, and if you keep up the lying, you'll only both end up with shattered hearts," he said.

Back at the boardinghouse, Elena was fuming, mostly at Damon for lying to her about looking for Stefan. It was bad enough the first time he did it and now she was going through the same thing again. And he expected to move to Italy with him? He had another guess coming if he thought that was going to happen.

She decided to call her brother to see what he was up to then thought better of it and dialed another number, this one belonging to her step-mom, Meredith. After several rings, Meredith picked up. "Elena?"

"Hey, Meredith," she replied. "Do you have a minute? I need to talk to you."

"Sure. I'm at the Lockwood mansion right now, if you want to come here," Meredith replied.

"I'm on my way," Elena said before ending the phone call and blurring quickly out of the boardinghouse, heading to the Lockwood mansion and spotting an unfamiliar car, but Meredith was in the driver's seat.

Meredith saw Elena the moment she arrived, unlocking the door so she could get in. "What's on your mind, Elena?"

"It's Damon," she replied. "He lied to me. I found out through Katherine that he's been looking for Stefan and never told me about it. This isn't the first time either. He did it once before when I was still human."

"Ah yes, the infamous lying session," Meredith said. "Well, the best way to get him to weasel out why he was searching for Stefan would be to confront him in person. I know that it won't help, but it won't hurt to try."

"But, what do I say to him exactly?" Elena asked.

"Just ask him the truth, and see where it gets you. Oh, I heard that you were planning to move to Italy," her step-mom said, smiling over at her.

Elena rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, that depends on what happens with Damon."

Meredith glanced over at her. "Your father and I had plans to leave Mystic Falls a few years ago, before Christopher was born," she said quietly.

"John never told me that," Elena said.

"Yeah, we did. But, they got put on hold when he almost tried to kill Damon and Stefan in that fire after the pageant for Miss Mystic Falls," Meredith replied.

Elena nodded. "I remember that fire. That's the fire that killed Tyler's dad."

"Hmm, it was," Meredith nodded in agreement. "We had a very huge and heated argument that night. I almost walked out on our marriage because I got tired of his vampire hunting and the lies that came with it. Of course I went back to him, because he pleaded with me to give us a second chance. I know that's not a good example for you, Elena, but I sincerely hope that it helps you and Damon."

Elena nodded slowly. "Yeah…" She sighed. "Oh God, Meredith, this is just so hard."

"Love is never easy, Elena," her stepmother replied. "There are many challenges that we have to face every day in order to keep the ones we love close to us." She placed a gentle hand on the brunette vampire's shoulder. "But I know you, Elena; you never give up on anything, which is why you can't give up on Damon. You love him, don't you?"

"I do," Elena said. "I love him with everything that I am."

"Then, go to him. Ask him what made him lie to you in the first place, and beg for his forgiveness. Get down on your knees if you have to," Meredith said with a smile.

Elena laughed, tears in her eyes as she leaned toward the older woman and hugged her fiercely. "Thank you, Meredith. I really appreciate you, even if we haven't always gotten along. Ever since John died, you've been the one there for me," she said on a soft, choked sob.

"I know it's hard losing someone you love, Elena. But, I wouldn't be anywhere else," Meredith said, pulling back from the hug to wipe her step-daughter's tears away.

Elena smiled through her tears. "I'm going to head back now. I think Damon should be getting home and I have an apology to make."

"Okay. I'll talk to you soon, Elena," Meredith said, hugging her stepdaughter one more time before the vampire climbed out of the car.

Elena got back to the boarding house and found that Damon had in fact returned before she did. Before he could say anything, she said, "Damon, we really need to talk. Why did you feel the need to leave me out of your search for Stefan?"

"I didn't want to. But, Katherine did call me first," Damon said. "And, I'd already been heading out the door anyway, so…"

"I still would've liked to have been involved," Elena said. "I've been just as worried about Stefan as you have. Hell, I even had dreams about him all summer." She sighed. "I'm sorry I jumped to the wrong conclusions, Damon. It's just that I thought you didn't trust me. I mean, I've known you since before I was turned, and in that time, we've been through a quite a bit."

Damon opened his arms, and Elena immediately stepped into them. "I'm the one who should be apologizing to you, Elena. I'm always destroying something in my life, whether it was my relationship with Stefan or ours," he said softly.

Elena returned his hug. "Maybe we can work on rebuilding our relationship. It's going to take some effort on both our parts, but I think we can save what we have. Meredith said that her marriage to my father was nearly ruined because she didn't like the vampire hunting he was doing, and lies that came with it. Fortunately, he was able to convince her to give their marriage another shot. If they can do it, hell, so can we."

"And you think that Italy will help us make our relationship stronger?" Damon asked.

Elena nodded. "I think so. This move will be good for us."

**Author's Note:** So, Elena went to her step-mom for advice. I really enjoyed writing that part with Erin, and I hope she did too, with me. The next chapter will probably start off with possibly an appearance of someone in the lovely Dr. Fell-Gilbert's dream, so be on the look-out!


	7. Chapter 7

**_Previously in "I'll Still Be Here", Damon and Elena get into an argument after she finds out that he'd lied to her about trying to find Stefan while Stefan and Katherine make love._**

**Chapter Seven**

Meredith sighed as she walked into the apartment building she had begun living in shortly after giving birth to her son Christopher, who was now nearly 3. It didn't seem possible that he was getting bigger each day, but he was the blessing she'd always wanted, especially after having quiet, reserved Savannah. Upon entry, Meredith sighed, putting her keys in the counter. She had helped both her sister and her stepdaughter and that was definitely something to be proud of. The physician headed into her bedroom, and then the adjoined bathroom, where she stripped until she had left her clothes in a pile on the floor. Then she turned on the water, turning the knob until it came out via the shower.

As soon as she was in the tub, Meredith shut off the water and sat down, closing her eyes as she laid her head against the tile of the wall behind her, letting her thoughts carry her away. Soon, she was asleep, her first thought of her beloved and deceased husband. _"Merry."_

_Meredith opened her eyes at the sound of her name being called. The voice seemed familiar to her. "John?"_

_"Hello, my love," he said, appearing in front of her._

_Meredith shook her head. "What are you doing here? You're…"_

_"I'm dead? Yes, but this is a dream, so I'm as alive as you want."_

_"I miss you, John. And I'm terrified. Not just because our children are growing up without you, but because I don't want to fall in love with anyone else. Not in the way that I loved you," she said softly._

_John nodded. "Merry, I know you're afraid. I've been watching you and I even feel your fears. But, even if you fall in love again, I won't be offended. You can't forbid yourself from finding love again. Sooner or later, you're going to have to move on. Granted, it won't be the same, but you'll be happy."_

_"You did make me happy, even if we did have our ups and downs along the way," Meredith said._

_John nodded. "I know, and I'm sorry if I did anything to hurt you."_

_"Never, John; you never did anything like that," she said softly. "You were absolutely perfect, except for the way you nearly destroyed our marriage the night you tried to burn your daughter's boyfriend alive."_

_"I know that wasn't my best moment," said John. "I even feel guilty for the death of Richard Lockwood." He sighed. "If I could do it all again, I wouldn't have tried to kill Stefan."_

_"What about Damon?" Meredith asked._

_"Yes, I'd spare killing Damon as well. I know that he loves my daughter now like she'd loved Stefan back then," John replied._

_Meredith nodded. "Yes, Damon has loved Elena from the moment he met her, and I couldn't imagine her life without him." She smiled sadly. "Just like I can't imagine my life without you…"_

_"Oh, my beautiful Merry," John said, gathering her into his arms and holding her close._

_Meredith wrapped her arms around him. "I love you so much, John. I miss you."_

She gasped as she came out of her dream but also because of the temperature of the water. Sighing, Meredith drained the tub and stepped out, drying herself off and heading into her room to get dressed.

Once dressed, the brunette got into bed then picked up the romance novel she'd been reading for the last few nights. As she read, Meredith thought about what she and John talked about in her dream/fantasy. God, if only he was really here. Why did he have to leave her alone like this? Well, she wasn't entirely alone, because she still had Savannah, Christopher, and Elena, but it wasn't enough.

Her sad thoughts were soon left behind when she heard Savannah's soft, eager chatter and Christopher's babbling coming from downstairs. Meredith came downstairs to find her children with their aunt. "What's going on down here, you two?"

"Auntie Meghan was just telling us about seeing Tyler again," Savannah replied with a grin.

Meredith smiled. "I know; I'm happy for her too."

"Mommy," Christopher said excitedly.

"Hi buddy, did you have a good day with your sister?" Meredith asked as Meghan carried him up the stairs with Savannah following her aunt.

Christopher nodded. "Yes, Mommy, I did."

Meredith smiled. "That's good to hear."

"But I missed you," he said once he was within reach of her. She laughed then took him out of her younger sister's arms and held him close.

"I missed you too, sweetie," Meredith said. "You and your sister are very special to me."

"Love you, Mom," Savannah piped up, hugging her mom from behind. Meredith smiled then let one hand stroke through her daughter's dark blonde hair.

"I love you too, darling," she replied. "I don't know what I would do without you in my life. Though, I don't know want to think about it."

"Don't try to think about it then, Merry," Meghan told her.

"I'm trying not to," Meredith said. "It's not easy, but I'm trying."

**Later**…

After putting Savannah and Christopher to bed, Meghan joined her older sister in her bedroom. "What's on your mind, Merry?" she asked quietly.

"I had a dream about John."

"Whoa, you…?" Meghan asked.

Meredith nodded. "He told me that I shouldn't keep dwelling, holding onto my love for him and that I should find love again," she told her sister.

Meghan placed a gentle hand on her sister's shoulder. "He does have a point, Merry. Savannah and Christopher need a father."

"I know. But, it's hard. I've not loved anyone else, not even when I was with Alaric for a brief time, since he was eventually killed," Meredith said.

Meghan nodded. "I remember that. I haven't loved anyone else either. Tyler is the only one I ever loved and I'm glad that we patched things up and are together again."

"Yes, but you're young, Meghan. You and Tyler haven't known each other but your whole lives," Meredith told her.

Meghan nodded. "I know, but we're going to make it work. T.J. needs to know his father, and Tyler needs to know his son. It's going to take effort on our parts, but we're going to take it one step at a time."

"How do I do the 'one step at a time' thing though, Meghan?" Meredith asked softly.

Meghan smiled. "That's easy; you just have to do it. I know it may be hard, but it really isn't."

"It's not easy for me, though. You know as well as I do, Meghan," Meredith said.

Meghan nodded. "I'll help you. There's no way I would ever abandon my sister in her time of need."

"Thank you, Meghan," her older sister said, kissing the top of Meghan's head.

**The Next Day**…

Meredith had a day off from the hospital, so she decided to take Savannah and Christopher, and her nephew, to the zoo for the day. T.J. saw that his aunt was deep in thought. "Aunt Merry, are you okay? You look so serious."

The physician turned to look at him. "I'm fine, sweetie. I just have a lot on my mind these days, I suppose," she said with a soft smile.

T.J. nodded. "Is it because you miss Uncle John?"

Meredith looked at her nephew in surprise. "Tyler James Lockwood Jr., where did you hear about that?" she said in a light but still firm, stern tone.

"I didn't," T.J. said. "My daddy is a werewolf. I can smell it on you."

"Sweetie, your daddy is only half-werewolf. And, let's not worry about Auntie Merry, okay? Let's go have some fun!" Meredith said.

T.J. nodded, with a smile on his face. "Okay, Auntie Merry."

She held out her hand and he slipped his into it, and then they headed into the first house that came after she got herself and Savannah into the zoo and park. As they walked around and looked at the animals, Meredith started to feel better. Then again, wasn't what being around children supposed to do?

They were in the house of the reptiles and amphibians when Meredith nearly collided with a hard body. Embarrassed out of her mind, Meredith said, "Oh, I am so sorry. I didn't know that anyone else was coming this way."

"No, it was completely my fault. You know what they say…don't text and walk at the same time," the man said with a chuckle.

Meredith smiled. "I'm pretty sure that applies to driving, but I suppose it could apply to walking as well. I'm Meredith, by the way. Meredith Fell. Who might you be, sir?"

The man held out a broad hand to Meredith, who took it then told the brunette physician, "I'm Paul Vaughn."

Meredith raised an eyebrow. "Are you of any relation to Galen Vaughn?"

"I'm his brother. Why?"

"Well, to make a long story short, he's dead. Killed by a vampire I know," Meredith told him.

Paul nodded. "I tried to tell him what he was doing would get him killed one day. But, Galen being Galen, he wouldn't listen."

"Are you um…are you one of them too?" Meredith asked.

"You mean, am I one of the Five?" Paul said. "No, lass, I'm not. I'm actually fond of all things supernatural, which includes vampires."

"Momma," Savannah called out, bringing herself to an abrupt stop when she saw that her mother was otherwise preoccupied. "T.J. needs to go to the bathroom."

"Okay, sweetie, I'm coming." Meredith turned to Paul. "I'm sorry, but my nephew needs me. I'll be back soon, I hope."

Paul nodded. "It's okay, don't rush. I'll be here when you get back."

Meredith also nodded then hurried off with Savannah to go check on her nephew, who she took to the nearest restroom. Paul watched as Meredith went off to the restroom with the children, smiling at her as he did so. She was definitely a beautiful woman and something told him that coming here was no accident. He was a firm believer in fate and he had a feeling that fate definitely played a hand in this.

When she finally returned, she had another little boy with her and she smiled at Paul. "Paul, I'd like you to meet my children, Savannah," she said, patting her daughter's head. "And this is Christopher, my son, and my nephew, T.J." She patted fair-haired Christopher and then dark-headed T.J.

Paul smiled at them. "Hello there. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Savannah, Christopher, T.J., this is Mr. Paul," Meredith said, introducing the trio to Paul.

The children said in unison, "Hello, Mr. Paul."

"It's nice to see such lovely children with wonderful manners," Paul said later to Meredith, after lunch, when he helped with getting Christopher and T.J. to the bathroom.

"Yeah, they're good children," Meredith said. "Though, I think it's an act. I would know, because although Savannah and Christopher are well-behaved, they're obviously plotting something. What makes it worse is that they get T.J. in on most of it."

"Maybe they're just worried about you," Paul told her.

"Yeah, and they have a good reason to be," Meredith said. "Savannah and Christopher's father died a while back and I've been raising them on my own ever since. I've had help from my sister, Meghan, but it's still difficult."

"Did you love your husband?" Paul asked.

Meredith nodded solemnly. "I did. John was my first love and I was so devastated when I found out that he died. You see, he was a hunter, like your brother, and I hated the fact that he was involved in that sort of thing. I hated it so much that I nearly left him. I would've succeeded too if he hadn't tracked me down and begged me for another chance."

"Wow, he must've really loved you then if he did that," Paul said.

Meredith nodded. "He did, and I loved him just as much. His loss cut me deep."

"Meredith, this is going to sound forward of me, but would you mind terribly if I kissed you?" Paul asked.

Meredith shook her head. "No, it's okay. I know you want to."

Angling his head, Paul scooted until he'd moved the food they'd finished off before reaching to bring his hand up to her chin, tilting it upward until he could look into her eyes then lowered his own head and pressed his lips to hers in a soft caress that could hardly be called a kiss.

Paul was about to pull away a few minutes later, but Meredith pulled him back to her, returning his kiss with a burning desire she thought she lost after John died. Immediately, Paul drew Meredith close, the kiss turning passionate and demanding but then he pulled back. "We should probably wait until later. We don't want to scare the children, do we?" he asked hoarsely.

Meredith nodded and licked her lips. "You're right. Children are very impressionable and we don't want to give them the wrong idea."

Paul smiled at her genuinely then asked, "Do you think they'll mind if I take them out for a lovely dinner, along with their mother and aunt?"

"Oh, they won't mind," Meredith said. "I won't mind it, either. Though, I'll have to ask Meghan if she'd like to join us. She'd want to meet you."

"That sounds lovely then. Is seven o'clock fair enough for you?" Paul asked.

"Seven o'clock sounds perfect," Meredith replied with a smile.

Paul smiled. "Good." He gently placed his hand on hers. "I promise you, Meredith, I'll make it so you're never sad again. You need a good man in your life, and your children need a father."

"I'd love nothing more," she said with a smile, leaning toward him and pressing her forehead against his.

Paul smiled as they sat there, enjoying each others' company. To be honest, he never expected to meet a woman like Meredith, but he definitely chalked it up to fate.

**Author's Note:** Okay, so now, I owe y'all an update. I'm just sorry that it took me so long. Make sure that you check out two of my newest collaborations, "Live and Learn" and "All about Us", the first which can be found on my profile, and the second can be found on my twin Court's profile. Happy reading!


	8. Chapter 8

**_Previously in "I'll Still Be Here", Meredith meets Paul Vaughn._**

**Chapter Eight**

Klaus stood in front of an easel, working on a recent masterpiece of his. He was no doubt in a good mood and it was all because he had Caroline with him. Speaking of the blonde vampire, he smiled as he sensed her behind him. "I thought you were asleep, love?"

Caroline returned his smile. "I was, but I woke up and didn't see you next to me." She looked at the painting he was working on. "Is that a new painting? It's beautiful. Then again, I've always been an admirer of your work."

"Yes, it's my latest piece," Klaus replied. Putting down the round disc he used to have all his paint colors on, he turned and brought Caroline into the circle of his arms then picked up the disc once more and resumed painting.

"You're going to get paint all over me, Klaus," Caroline said with a laugh.

Klaus smiled at her. "Perhaps you can let me paint you, love. You'd make an excellent portrait. It would be an excellent tribute to your beauty."

"Oh, you think so?" she asked.

"I know so, love," Klaus replied.

Caroline smiled. "Well then, I look forward to when I'm posing for you." She kissed his cheek. "How shall I pose for you, my King, naked and wearing only a necklace, like Rose did for Jack in 'Titanic'?"

"When that day comes, I say you will be ten times as beautiful as Kate Winslet was in that film, love," Klaus replied.

Caroline smiled. "Thank you."

Klaus returned her smile then turned her head toward him and was about to lower his own when he suddenly caught sight of someone out of his peripheral vision. "Yes, Finn, what is it?" he asked.

"I hate to interrupt you in the middle of what you and Caroline are doing, Niklaus, and I apologize," Finn said. "I need to speak to you."

Klaus was about to answer him but Caroline beat him to it. "What did you need to tell him, Finn?"

"No offense, Miss Forbes, but this is sibling business," Finn said. He then walked out of their line of vision before Klaus turned to look at Caroline.

"I'm sorry, love, but it looks like we'll have to discuss our painting later," he told her before brushing his lips over her cheek in a butterfly caress and turning to follow his brother. Heading to the downstairs study, Klaus found Finn waiting for him. "To reiterate Caroline's question, what did you need to tell me, brother?"

"I am sorry to pull you away, brother, but I thought you should be the first to know. Marcel is planning to begin a war," Finn replied.

Klaus let out a curse and huffed out a breath. "Thank you for telling me, brother."

Finn nodded then turned and left the hybrid alone to go back to Caroline. "Klaus, is everything okay? I heard what Finn told you…" she said quietly.

Klaus took her hands in his. "No. Marcel will stop at nothing to defeat me."

"You don't have to take him on alone, you know," Caroline said. "I'll help you."

"Love, as much as I appreciate you offering, I don't think that would be a great idea," Klaus replied. "Marcellus has you beat in age by over two hundred years. And I…just don't want to see you get hurt."

"I understand. Do you plan to ask Sage for help, or is she going to be supervising me?" Caroline asked.

Klaus shook his head. "Knowing how protective he is of her, I doubt Finn would be willing to let Sage help us, even though she's perfectly capable of handling herself."

**In the Other Room**

"You can't be serious!" Sage shrieked at Finn. "I'm not going to sit here and watch you get yourself killed…again. I just…I won't let it happen, Finn." She huffed then crossed her arms over her chest. When he attempted to sit down by her, the redhead glared sternly at him and he stared back at her.

"I don't understand why you are angry about this, love." His voice was a soft murmur as he attempted to reach for her again but she only shifted to bring her knees up to her blouse covered chest, wrapping her arms around them, and his face fell at her actions.

"Why do you THINK I'm angry, Finn?" Sage said. "You're risking your life fighting against someone Niklaus turned! I lost you once, I'm not about to lose you again!"

"I don't want to lose you either! Okay? You mean too damn much to me, and when we both died that night, I saw that your soul had died in my last moments of the 1000+ years I'd been alive," Finn growled.

Sage growled again, knowing that she wouldn't be able to win this verbal fight. "You know what? Fine, go risk your life against Marcel and see if I care!" Before Finn could stop her, she got up and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Immediately, Finn rushed after Sage, sweeping her into his arms and carrying her back to the room they were occupying and vamp speeding them to the bed, where he forced the redhead to stay seated. Sage scowled at him. "Damn you, Finn Mikaelson, what is it you're trying to prove here? I'm furious at you and if you think that holding me down on this bed is going to get me take what I said, you have another guess coming!"

"Marry me!" he yelled at her.

"What?" she sputtered at him.

Taking a deep breath, Finn calmed himself down then moved to bring her to the edge of the bed, where he knelt down in front of her. "Sage, no pun intended on that song, but I've loved you for over a thousand years, and I want to love you for that long. So, will you do me the greatest honor of accepting this ring…again?" he said, holding up the emerald-and-diamond covered band between his fingers for her to see.

Sage looked at the ring, her anger forgotten. Finally, she looked at Finn, tears in her eyes. "Yes, yes, yes, a thousand times yes, I will marry you, Finnegan Mikaelson!" Her boyfriend grinned at her then placed the ring onto her left hand, grasping it gently and tugging her toward him until he could place a warm kiss onto her lips. Sage returned his kiss, moaning softly against his mouth before pulling away, smiling at him. "I'm sorry I yelled at you, Finn."

"You have nothing to be sorry about, love," he replied. "It's my fault, being protective of you and everything."

"And you have every right to be protective of me. It's just…sometimes, I want to help out with the battles," she said in a soft murmur.

Finn sighed and nodded. "I know you do, Sage, since you've got the strength of a thousand men. I was just afraid that Marcellus might try something and you'll be caught off guard."

She nodded silently. "If you or Niklaus need me to, I can stay here with Caroline and keep her company. And maybe Rebekah too," she suggested.

Finn nodded. "I think that will be a good idea. I overheard Niklaus telling Caroline that Marcellus has her beat in age and that he doesn't want her to get hurt. So, I think if you stayed here and kept her company, he'd appreciate it."

As her new fiancé spoke, his fingers stroked over the clothing-covered thigh and Sage bit gently down on her bottom lip to keep from making a sound but then squealed when Finn tackled her onto the bed, giggling as they kissed, the kisses turning into a passionate foray of tongues clashing, demanding and surrendering. "Finn…" Sage whispered when he broke off the kiss to start pressing open-mouthed kisses down the column of her arching neck.

Finn smiled against her neck. "That's my name, love."

Shaking her head, Sage then pushed on his chest until he had landed on his back. "If you know your name, why would you say that?" she said with a smirk.

Finn returned her smirk. "Maybe it's because I heard that's what men say when their lovers say their name during an intimate moment."

"Not always," she told him.

Finn smiled. "I love you, my Irish Rose."

Sage smiled as well. "I love you too, my handsome British Prince. I want you to remember that when you're out there defending the city with your brothers."

"I'll never forget it," he said in a soft murmur, sitting up until he could embrace her, his arms resting loosely around her waist.

Hayley sat in her bed, her hand gently caressing her belly, when she sensed someone else in the room. She looked over and saw Elijah in her doorway. "Elijah, you startled me." She saw the look in his eyes. "What is it?"

"I just heard some terrible news. Marcellus has captured my sister," he said solemnly.

"What? Why…why would he take Rebekah?" she said, sitting up and pulling him down gently next to her.

Elijah sighed and kissed her forehead. "He wants to use her as leverage against us."

"You can't let him get away with this," Hayley said. "You have to get Rebekah back from Marcel."

"We will, but not right away. If he wants a war, he's got one," Elijah vowed.

Hayley nodded. "Make him pay for what he's done, Elijah. He deserves it for kidnapping Rebekah."

"I intend to," Elijah said. "And once I tell Niklaus about this, he's going to want to do the same."

"I wish I could go with you."

"No, you don't," Elijah said. "You'll get hurt, as well as the baby, and I can't risk that."

"Elijah, you didn't hear what I said. I said I _wish_ I could go. Not that I want to; I know that I should stay with Sage and Caroline, so that's what I'm going to do," the werewolf told him.

Elijah nodded, understanding what she was saying. "Good. They'll keep you company."

"And I'll keep them company," Hayley said, smiling softly at him.

Elijah returned her smile, kissing her softly. "I'm just a phone call away if you need me."

"Okay," she said, kissing him softly back. He stood after kissing her forehead and had gotten only a step away before he was tugged back around. "Elijah, please remember that I love you, okay?"

Elijah smiled at her. "I wouldn't forget that. You mean everything to me."

"Good. Go get your sister back, okay?" she murmured. He nodded then kissed her forehead before turning and exiting her room. Hayley let out a soft sigh then fell gently back onto the pillows, her hands immediately going to fold tenderly over her baby bump. "We'll be okay, baby of mine. You, me, Elijah, your daddy and Caroline…we'll all be okay."

No sooner did Elijah exit Hayley's room than he ran into Klaus, who had been listening to their conversation. "I won't stand for this, Elijah. We have to get our sister back."

"I take it you were eavesdropping, Niklaus? You know that's not polite."

"No, the one thing that isn't polite is you not telling ME first!" Klaus growled.

Elijah stood his ground. "I just found out a few minutes ago."

"Regardless," his brother replied. "I would've preferred that you told me instead of your girl."

"Finn doesn't know anything either, brother," Elijah said firmly.

"I don't know anything about what?" Finn asked just then as he appeared in the hallway, wearing just a pair of jeans, his feet bare.

Elijah was about to answer but Klaus beat him to it. "Marcellus has kidnapped Rebekah."

Finn blinked. "He did WHAT?"

"Wow, he's really devastated. Maybe we should consider taking something that is valuable to Marcellus," Elijah said.

"Who would we take though?" Klaus asked.

"It would have to be someone he can't stand to lose," Elijah said. "Someone that he would move heaven and earth for…"

"I think I know of someone that you could snatch," Hayley said from the doorway. "Belinda La Fleur…"

"Who is that?" Finn was the first to ask.

"She's a witch," Hayley said. "From what I understand, she's also someone Marcel is sweet on. As a matter of fact, he's in love with her. If he found out that you've taken her, he'll be like putty in your hands."

"I'll snatch her," Finn said. Elijah and Klaus both nodded then turned quiet when they noticed Sage step out of hers and Finn's bedroom. Finn looked at his brothers, who headed toward the stairs. Hayley retreated back into her room, closing the door gently behind her.

"Who are you snatching, Finn?" his new fiancé asked softly.

"Marcellus has kidnapped Rebekah," Finn said. "And Hayley suggested that we retaliate by kidnapping a witch by the name of Belinda La Fleur. Apparently, she's also someone Marcel is in love with."

"How do you plan to go about this plan, Finn?" she asked.

"Catch her off guard," Finn said. "I know that witches are capable of using that annoying ability to fry a vampire's brain with their magic, so if I can sneak up on her and grab her before she could use it to defend herself, then I'll have no trouble grabbing her. I know that it's risky, but if we want to get Rebekah back, then this is our best option."

She went silent for a few minutes, and the only sound lingering between them was their breathing. "You will be careful, right?" Sage asked quietly.

Finn nodded and approached her, one hand framing her cheek, the other pulling her close to him. "I'll be careful, my love. This is to get Rebekah back from Marcellus. When he finds out that we have his beloved Belinda, he'll do anything to ensure her safety." Her nose nuzzled along the skin of his neck as she held the tears at bay. Finn ran his fingers through her hair. "We won't fail, Sage. I promise."

"I'm sorry. I can't do this right now," she murmured before turning and heading into the bedroom to dress before heading downstairs and out the front door. She gasped when she suddenly slammed into a now-dressed Finn. "Damn it, Finn!"

"Sage, please," Finn said. "Why are you acting like this? Is it something I did?"

Sage shook her head. "I…I just need time, Finn," she said softly, her tone almost a whisper.

Finn sighed. "Sage, I know that this is a lot to take in, but we're not going to kill Belinda. We're going to hold her hostage while we figure out a way to negotiate with Marcellus for the safe return of Rebekah."

"I meant from us!" she ground out. "I know that you're trying to make amends with your siblings and I'm only in the way. Please…just let me go."

"You think you're in the way?" Finn said. "Sage, that's not true. You're not in the way. I never gave you that impression."

"_You_ don't have to. I've seen the way that your brother looked at me. Like he didn't want me there in the first place," Sage said.

Finn rolled his eyes. "If you want me to speak to Niklaus about his treatment of you, I'd be more than happy to after we get Rebekah back from Marcellus."

"No! Don't bother. I need time, Finn. Please, just give me a little time," she said. Finn watched with saddened eyes as she removed her engagement ring, took his hand and put the ring into his palm before closing his fingers around the ring.

"Take all the time you need, Sage," Finn said. "I'll still be here when you're ready."

She smiled sadly, wondering why he wasn't putting up more of a fight, but then turned and walked away from him without looking back. Elijah noticed Finn's misty eyes when he and Klaus caught up with him. "What happened, brother?"

"Sage gave me the ring back," he replied. "She…told me she needed more time." He looked toward Klaus. "She even said that Niklaus made her feel like she didn't belong here at all."

"Oh, I didn't want her to leave because of that!" Klaus said, immediately feeling awful for what he'd done to his brother and the woman he loved. "I'll go and talk to her."

Before either Elijah or Finn could stop him, Klaus went after Sage, catching her before she could get in her car. "Sage, wait!"

Sage looked toward him. "Save it, Niklaus! It's obvious that I'm in the way of you making peace with your siblings! I see it in the way you look at me sometimes! You claim that you want a family, but you sure as hell don't treat me like family!"

"You're my brother's family, Sage. And both my brothers and my sister matter that much to me," Klaus said.

Sage raised an eyebrow at him, not sure if she should believe him as she asked, "Really? You're not just saying that to get me to change my mind?"

"I mean every word, he replied. "That and I know that Caroline and Hayley wouldn't be pleased with me if they found out that I didn't stop you from leaving."

**Author's Note:** Because Erin and I love Sage & Finn so, so much, I know that it nearly shattered my S&F-loving heart to almost break them up!


	9. Chapter 9

**_Previously in "I'll Still Be Here", Finn asks Sage to marry him while Caroline persuades Klaus to paint her in the same manner that Jack sketched Rose in 'Titanic'._**

**Chapter Nine**

**The Lockwood Mansion**

Meghan was making a snack for herself in the kitchen when she felt a pair of arms close around the upper part of her body, hands covering her eyes as a voice said huskily in her ear, "Guess who?"

She giggled and replied, "Hmm, is it that handsome man with black hair and hazel eyes?"

Tyler chuckled. "I can't fool you, can I?"

Meghan turned around in his arms and kissed him. "No, you can't, because I know you too well." She kissed him again. "I was just making a snack. Care to join me?"

"Can I have you for a snack instead?" he asked huskily, leaning toward her and pressing an open-mouthed kiss to her neck. Meghan's head fell back and Tyler took quiet advantage, wrenching her gently closer to him until she felt _all_ of him against her.

"Tyler…what if someone walks in?" she asked on a ragged murmur, hands clasped around the back of his head to hold him in place.

"Let them come in," Tyler said. "We're both adults. I'm not ashamed of how I feel about you."

"And if our son walked in?" she asked, turning in the circle of his arms to finish fixing the snack.

"Then, I'd talk you into going upstairs with me so that we could have more privacy," he replied.

"Well, maybe later. I have things that need to get done," Meghan told him.

Tyler nodded. "Okay."

Just after he spoke, Matt came in with April, who noticed right off that there was tension. The hybrid just glanced back at April before turning and heading out of the kitchen. Matt saw the look on Tyler's face as he went and followed his friend into the living room. "Is everything okay?"

Tyler sighed and shook his head. "I really don't know. I thought that now we're back together, Meghan and I would like we were before."

"I really don't know what to tell you then. Woo her, convince her that you're ready to take her back," Matt advised.

Tyler nodded. "I could try that. I love her, Matt, and I don't want to lose her. I nearly lost her once, and I don't want that to happen again."

After he headed out of the mansion, April turned to Matt. "You're a good friend, you know that?"

"I try my best," Matt said with a sheepish smile and a quick shrug.

April smiled and kissed him. "You're cute when you blush, you know that?"

"I've not heard that, but thanks," he said, returning her kiss.

"You're welcome," she said snuggling into his arms.

Tyler went after Meghan and when he found her, he grabbed her from behind and turned her to face him, kissing her passionately. Her protest died when she tried to separate her lips from his and he went in search of them once more. "God, Tyler…" she said on a ragged murmur. "Are you always this persuasive?"

"I'm a Lockwood. It's in my blood," he replied.

Meghan smiled at his reply. "So I've heard. Guess I'll have something to look forward to when T.J. gets older, won't I?"

"Yeah, pretty much," he said with a smirk.

Meghan shook her head. "You're a mess, that's what you are," she told him.

Tyler smirked again. "Yeah, but for you, I'm a hot mess."

"You're still a mess," she said, shaking her head again. She squealed with laughter when he proceeded to pick her up and hoist her easily over his broad shoulder. "Tyler Lockwood, put me down!"

Tyler grinned. "I'll put you down all right…in our bed."

She squirmed in his hold, finally grunting at him, "Damn you, Tyler Lockwood!"

After he got to his room finally, Tyler set her down as promised on the bed, and she bounced a bit, scooting backward at the hungry gaze she got from him. Tyler came over her and tilted his head to the side, mouth just barely caressing hers before he was stripping them both, thrusting into her none too gently. Meghan moaned against his mouth and rocked her hips against his thrusts, matching his movements exactly.

**Downstairs**…

Matt smirked to himself when he heard the soft noises from upstairs, his fingers gently stroking over the arm of a now-sleeping April, who was gently sprawled out on his chest. Matt kissed April's forehead. "Tyler is finally reunited with the woman he loves. I'm glad it all worked out for him. He deserves to be happy."

"Hmm," she murmured sleepily. "You were worried that he wouldn't be?"

Matt nodded. "Yeah, I was. I mean, he's my friend, so it was only natural that I was worried about him. He's been through a lot."

She opened her eyes and looked up at him. "You two almost had a falling out, right? Over Caroline, if I remember you telling me," she said softly.

Matt nodded. "Unfortunately, yes. Though, we did finally patch things up. As for Caroline, she's with Klaus now."

"That's what I've heard around town. How do you feel about that, since you two are friends?" she asked.

"Well, at first, I was a bit shocked, especially since he's responsible for Tyler's mom being dead," Matt said. "But, Caroline seems to see the good in him."

April nodded. "Well, if she's happy then you should be happy for her, right?"

"Yeah, I guess I should be happy for her," Matt said. "She's finally found someone who will love her for who she is and treat her like…well, a Queen."

"Am I a Queen too?" April asked him.

Matt smiled at her. "Of course you are, April."

"I'm your Queen," she said with a smirk, shifting to kiss him.

"Always," he said with a smirk back, kissing her in response while framing her cheeks in his strong hands.

April smiled. "Yes, always."

"Dude, really?" Tyler asked from the doorway. April immediately jumped off of Matt, but he caught her before she could fall to the floor on her back.

"Dude, really?" Matt mimicked him. "You were just upstairs doing the very same thing, might I remind you of that?"

Tyler raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, but that doesn't mean you have to copy me."

"I wasn't!" Matt said with a sigh. "Besides, you're already a father. I'm not there yet."

April nodded. "That's right, Tyler. Matt and I don't want to get pregnant until we're ready. So, we're taking things slow."

"Well, not pregnant again," Matt reminded her quietly.

"Okay, what is going on and why did you say again?" Tyler asked, confused by their conversation.

"What I mean to say is that I'm going to be a father," Matt told his friend.

Tyler blinked. "You're going to be a father? Why the hell didn't you say anything about that before?"

Matt raised an eyebrow. "Oh, maybe it was because you never asked?"

"Well, congrats then," Tyler said. Matt stood and the two friends hugged, each of them clapping the other guy's back.

April smiled. "Thank you, Tyler."

"You're welcome," Tyler said, hugging her as well before rejoining Meghan, who smiled and kissed him loudly.

Matt then got an idea. "Why don't we celebrate my impending fatherhood and your reunion?"

"Who would we invite, Matt?" Tyler asked him. "Caroline left to be with Klaus. Damon and Elena have started to plan on moving to Italy and Bonnie is gone."

"It can be just us, Jeremy, and that new girl in town," Matt replied.

Tyler raised a curious eyebrow. "Wait, hold on. Did you say there's a new girl in town?"

"Yeah," Matt said. "Her name is Allison, and she started working at the Grill recently."

"And it seems that she is also interested in Jeremy," April piped up.

"Oh really, she is? That's interesting," Tyler said.

April nodded. "Yeah, I saw them kissing. From the looks of it, they seemed to really enjoy it."

Tyler nodded. "Well, if he's happy, then he is moving on," he said.

Matt nodded. "Yeah, I was wondering when he was going to be happy again. Losing Bonnie really hit him hard."

"Yes, it did. It hit us all hard," Tyler said solemnly. He smiled over at Meghan when she took his hand and squeezed it. Tyler returned her smile. "Well, if being with Allison makes Jeremy happy, then I have no objection to it."

"And neither do I," April said. "Nobody deserves to be sad forever."

"No, they do not," Meghan agreed. "Who would like some food?"

April and Matt raised their hands and said in unison, "WE DO!"

Meghan chuckled then let go of Tyler's hand long enough to place the basket of food she'd brought into the room with her on the low-set coffee table. "Here you are," she said.

Matt let April eat first, mostly because he knew that pregnant women generally ate more compared to other women. After she was done, April settled back against him while Meghan settled against Tyler, both girls content for the moment. Matt smiled and kissed April's head. He was definitely looking forward to being a father. He meant it when he was going to be better than his father was. "I love you," he said softly as he stroked his hand over her curls.

April smiled. "I love you too, Matty."

Tyler smirked and chuckled then began making kissing noises. Matt scowled then picked up a pillow and threw it at the hybrid, who threw it back. Meghan shook her head at their behavior and looked at April. "I guess it's true what they say about men. No matter how old they get, they'll never stop being little boys."

"Very true," the pregnant brunette said with a grin as the two guys continued to throw the pillow back and forth. "Okay, enough; someone is going to get an eye taken out."

Matt and Tyler pointed fingers at each other and both said in unison, "He started it!"

"I don't care who started it," Meghan said. "April's right, this needs to stop before someone gets their eye taken out."

Her tone was firm enough for the two of them to obey and, after Tyler tossed the pillow back to Matt, the blonde put it back on the couch he was sitting on. No sooner did Matt place the pillow down on the sofa than his cell phone rang. Not sure who was calling, he took his phone out and saw Jeremy's number on the ID screen. "It's Jeremy. I wonder why he's calling…"

"You won't know for sure unless you answer it," Tyler said. "Maybe he has a good reason to be calling."

Matt nodded and pressed SEND. "Jeremy? What's going on?"

"Man, you should get down here. It's crazy!" Jeremy said. Matt heard him put the phone down so he ended the call before easing April up from over him.

"Sorry, guys, I have to go. Something's up at the Grill," Matt said before rushing out. Meghan glanced at Tyler, who nodded and blurred after his friend.

Tyler caught up with Matt and said, "What's going on at the Grill?"

"Not sure," Matt said. "But, Jeremy wants me to come down and find out."

Tyler nodded then walked into the Grill with the human-medium, finding the local hangout in total chaos. Tyler growled at what he saw. "Damn it! What the hell happened here? It looks like a bomb went off!"

"One kind of did," Jeremy replied as he walked in from the back room. His face was covered in black soot, and the girl that stood next to him, her face was also covered in black soot.

"Are you guys okay?" Matt asked with a concerned tone and look on his face.

Jeremy nodded. "Yeah, we're okay."

"That's good," Matt said. "At least you're both okay." He surveyed the damage. "Was anyone else here or was it just you and Allison?"

"Well, it wasn't just me and her, but I had already sent everyone home after they got questioned by Sheriff Forbes and her deputies," Jeremy replied.

Tyler nodded. "At least no one was hurt, that's the most important thing."

Jeremy nodded again then looked down at Allison. "Are you going to be okay while I talk to Matt and Tyler?"

She nodded and stepped away from him. "I should go home and get cleaned up, anyway," she said.

Jeremy nodded. "Okay, we've got things covered here. Go home and get some rest."

Allison smiled then leaned up and covered his cheek with her lips briefly. "Thanks, but I doubt I'll sleep any tonight," she said before heading out the door.

After she was gone, Jeremy turned to find Matt and Tyler giving him curious looks. "What?"

Matt smiled. "Nothing, Jeremy. It's just that we're glad that you've got another girl in your life. You've been rather bummed out about Bonnie and we were worried that you'd never find anyone else."

Jeremy shrugged. "Allison and I agreed to take things slow," he said as he headed to the back to get the brooms for him, Matt and Tyler. Matt and Tyler watched Jeremy go get the brooms. Although they were taking it slow, at least Jeremy and Allison were together.

**Meanwhile**…

Allison arrived at the now-empty boardinghouse then put her purse on the end table just inside the front door and her keys in the bowl. She looked around at the interior of the boarding house and although she and Jeremy were living here, she could feel that the former residents were still around. Going to sit down in the chair in the living room in front of the fire, Allison soon fell asleep with the warmth of the fire surrounding most of her front side.

**In New Orleans**…

Rebekah felt like her head was spinning as she woke up. Once her vision cleared, she saw that she was in Marcel's headquarters. Great, just what she didn't need. "Welcome back," she heard a familiar voice say from next to her.

Rebekah bared her fangs at her captor. "WHAT THE BLOODY DO YOU THINK YOU'RE TRYING TO PROVE BY BRINGING ME HERE, MARCEL?"

He bared his fangs as well. "I thought I could try and reconnect the spark we once had, but it's obvious that I was wrong in doing so," he growled before blurring out of the room.

Rebekah watched Marcel leave and then forced herself to calm down. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. Marcel wanted to rekindle their old flame? She remembered being in love with him eons ago. Unfortunately, Klaus would have none of it and did whatever was necessary to keep them apart. So, why the sudden interest in wanting to try again?

Sighing, the blonde Original lay back on the bed as she let her eyes drift closed once again.

**French Quarter**…

Belinda La Fleur was just closing her shop for the night, having let the last customer leave less than an hour ago. She also carried bag filled with herbs she was planning to use for a potion. Although Marcel had strictly forbidden the witches in the Quarter to practice magic, he made an exception for her; even if he didn't make it known to the vampires he led. After all, he wasn't without his pride. As she locked the door to the shop, she felt that something wasn't quite right. She tried to ignore it, but it only got stronger. "Whoever you are, come out so I can see you." The minute she said that, Belinda saw Finn Mikaelson approaching her. Great, as if she didn't already have enough things to worry about. She didn't let him speak as she said, "What do you want with me?"

"It would seem that you're urgently needed back at our mansion," he replied, a sly smirk on his face. "Unless you want me to use force, I suggest you come quietly."

"And if I say no?" she asked.

"Oh, I think you'll say yes, Miss La Fleur," he said before blurring up behind her and wrapping one arm around her collarbone, bringing a cloth up to her mouth and covering it. Once she fainted from the chloroform, Finn caught her easily in his arms then blurred back to the mansion. Finn arrived at the mansion to find Hayley waiting for him. He gave the pregnant werewolf a smirk. "I got her."

Hayley nodded, returning his smirk. "Good. Bring her inside and we'll find a place to put her."

He nodded then carried the African-American witch inside, going up the stairs. As soon as he reached the top of the stairs, Finn carried Belinda to a vacant room, laying her gently on the bed, hearing her moan as her head hit the pillow. That meant the chloroform would be wearing off soon. Quickly, Finn headed out and locked the door behind him. Hayley was standing with her back against the wall, a hand protectively on her belly. As though reading his mind, she said, "Now that we have Belinda, we need to make a ransom demand."

"Can you do that while I keep an eye on her?" Finn asked, planning himself into the chair next to Belinda's bed.

Hayley nodded. "I'll definitely do that." That being said, the pregnant werewolf left Finn to look after their hostage while she went to prepare a ransom demand.

Finn remained at the witch's side to wait for her to wake up, and while he waited, he began to work on some important paper-grading that came with his new job at the local university. Belinda gasped as she woke up, looking around at her surroundings. That's funny, wasn't she in the Quarter several minutes ago? She looked over and saw Finn sitting near her bed and grading papers. It was here that she remembered how she wound up in the Mikaelson mansion. She sat up and gave him a stern look. "You know that Marcel is going to be out for blood when he finds out about this, right?"

"Of course we do," he replied without looking up from his papers. "In fact, we're counting on him finding out."

Belinda's stern look didn't change. "What do you expect to gain by taking me hostage like this?"

"Marcel has our sister."

"And you think he's going to return her when he learns that you have taken me?" Belinda demanded softly.

"That is the plan, yes," Finn said, looking up from his papers. "Once Marcel learns we have you, he will have no choice but to return Rebekah to us, given how important you are to him."

"You people are out of your minds!" Belinda yelled and got up from the bed, about to make a run for it, but Finn beat her to it, groaning in pain when she used her powers to give him a migraine.

At that moment, Sage came in, having heard Finn groaning. She saw Belinda giving him a migraine and lunged at her, knocking her away from him. "YOU BITCH! I COULD KILL YOU FOR THAT!"

"Would you like a migraine as well, Red? That's exactly what I'll give you if you don't get me out of here," Belinda growled.

Sage growled as well and ignored her threat, grabbing her throat and used her compulsion power, saying, "You will not give me or any of the residents of this mansion any sort of migraines. If you know what is good for you, you will cooperate with us, do you understand?"

Belinda smirked and held up her left arm, which had a bracelet around it. "Sorry, I'm on vervain," she said.

"Damn it," Sage growled before letting go.

Hayley walked in then. "The ransom demand is done." She saw that Belinda was awake. "I see our guest is awake."

"Not only that, but she's also on vervain," Finn said. "Sage tried to compel her."

Belinda scowled at Hayley. "I thought you were given specific instructions to stay on bed rest," she said in a stern tone.

"Oh, I choose not to obey them. You see, I'm surrounded by plenty of people, all vampires, except for the father of my child, who is a hybrid," Hayley said in an equally stern tone.

Belinda scowled. "I should've known that you were an insolent little girl. I wouldn't be surprised if your child inherits your attitude."

Hayley growled slightly. "Do you want to live through this? I suggest you shut up. I don't know if they told you, but my friend is in trouble and we need you to help get her back from your boyfriend."

"You think Marcel is going to give her up easily? As I seem to remember, he, and she, once loved each other with a passion that I haven't seen in years," Belinda said.

Hayley raised an eyebrow. "And that doesn't bother you at all?"

"I suppose it should, yes, but I've had my chance with Marcel. It's obvious that he still loves Rebekah," Belinda replied with a quick shrug of her shoulders.

**Author's Note:** Who will win Marcel's heart, Belinda or Rebekah? Let me know what your thoughts are!


	10. Chapter 10

**_Previously in "I'll Still Be Here", Finn captures Belinda La Fleur, who reveals that Marcel is still in love with Rebekah._**

**Chapter Ten**

While all this was going on, Caroline was in the art room, looking at Klaus' paintings. She had been trying to read in her room, but couldn't concentrate because she was worried, so she came in here, hoping that looking at the paintings would calm her down. It wasn't that she doubted Klaus' abilities as a fighter, far from it; she just wished Marcel would go away and leave them in peace. "You're going to turn the house upside down with your worries, love," she heard Klaus say from the doorway.

Caroline turned and smiled at him. "I'm sorry. I guess this whole thing with Marcel has gotten to me." Her smile faded. "He needs to die…painfully."

"I know you feel that way now, love, but you're just angry," Klaus said as he crossed the room to stand behind her.

"You think I'm just angry?" Caroline said. "Nik, you can't just dismiss what I'm saying here! I'm worried about Rebekah! I may not know Marcel like you d, but from what you've told me about him, he seems to be capable of just about ANYTHING!"

"Caroline…"

"Don't you 'Caroline' me, Nik," Caroline said. "What if he had taken ME instead of Rebekah? Would you be as worried as I am and want to make him pay for it?"

"Love…" Caroline cut him off with a glare before turning and stepping around him to leave the room. However, she didn't get far because Klaus grabbed her arm and pulled her back toward him. Before she could protest, he silenced her by kissing her deeply and passionately. After a few minutes, he pulled away a bit and then whispered against her lips, "To answer your question, Caroline, if Marcel took you, I would hunt him down and make him suffer for taking what is mine."

She nodded, remaining silent as she rested her forehead against his. Klaus reached his hand up to stroke her hair, inhaling the sweet scents of sandalwood, lavender and honey in every strand. "We're going to find a way through this, Caroline, you have my word."

Caroline nodded again. "I really hope so, Nik," she whispered.

Klaus stepped back and framed her face, kissing her passionately. "I mean what I say, Caroline. We will get Rebekah back from Marcellus. In fact, we have leverage to use against him."

The blonde vampire gives him a curious look. "Who do you have as leverage?"

"A witch by the name of Belinda La Fleur," Klaus said. "According to the information from Hayley, she's also someone Marcel fancies, so he'll have no choice but to surrender when he finds out we have her."

**Meanwhile**…

Marcel was sitting behind the desk in his study at the compound when he heard someone clear their throat. "Yes, Diego, what is it?" he snapped in a low growl.

"This came for you, Marcel," the African-American vampire replied, putting a manila envelope down on the desk.

Marcel took the envelope as soon as Diego placed it on his desk, opening it to reveal a neatly folded piece of paper. Giving the younger vampire a curious look, he opened the paper to find that there was a note. Diego noticed his boss' demeanor change as he read the words on the paper and before he could ask, Marcel said, "It's the Mikaelsons. They've found out about Belinda and they're looking to use her as leverage to get their sister back."

"Damn it," Diego said. "So, what are we going to do?"

"The redhead, the eldest brother's girlfriend…take her and put her in with Rebekah," Marcel told him.

"You got it, Marcel," Diego said then turned and walked out of his boss' office.

After Diego left, Marcel looked at the paper again. He was obviously curious as to how the Mikaelsons learned about his relationship with Belinda. Of course, that didn't matter, because he was about to up the ante by adding Sage to the hostage list. As he sat, he let his mind drift back in time to the first time he met the 99-year-old witch:

_**New Orleans – 1963**…_

_Belinda was standing in front of the store for the television sets, tears streaking down her cheeks as she watched the funeral for JFK Sr. It was sad to think that his two children would not get to have their dad around as they got older. Marcel was walking by and when he saw her crying, he approached her and handed her a tissue. "Here. You look like you can use this."_

_Belinda took the tissue from him. "Thank you. It's been a rough several days, what with the President getting shot and killed by some mad man."_

_"You want to talk about it over coffee?" he suggested, giving her a soft smile._

_Belinda nodded. "I'd like that very much, thank you. Anything to take my mind off what's going on…"_

_Marcel nodded then put a cautious hand at her lower back to guide her toward Rousseau's, one of his favorite places. When they got to Rousseau's, Marcel found an empty table and helped Belinda into her chair before sitting in the one across from hers, taking her hand. "I have to apologize for not telling you my name first. I'm Marcel Gerard."_

_"Belinda La Fleur," she replied. "Though, you didn't have to introduce yourself. I've heard quite a bit about you from the other witches in the Quarter."_

_"Good things, I would hope," he said with a smirk._

_"Well, that would depend on who you ask," Belinda said. "Some have said good things, and some…not so good."_

_"Which of the witches have you heard the not-so-good things from?" he asked with a frown._

_Belinda sighed. "Does it really matter?"_

_"It does," Marcel said. "I need to know so that I can deal with them."_

_"Well then, I'm not telling you. You'll punish them by having another one of your little gatherings and slashing the said witch's throat in front of EVERYONE!" she hissed before standing and walking out of Rousseau's._

_Marcel immediately blurred out after her, finding her halfway down the brick-covered sidewalk. "Belinda, wait," he said. "Please talk to me."_

_Belinda looked at Marcel, tears forming in her eyes. "It's just…all we witches want to do is practice magic in the Quarter without having to be afraid of you and your minions coming after us! I don't care if you ARE the King of the Quarter, it's wrong to slaughter innocent witches!"_

_Marcel was completely floored by what she was saying. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to raise a hand to her for yelling at him like this. What was it about this particular witch that was making him hesitate? "Belinda, I…"_

_"Don't you 'Belinda' me," she replied. "You KNOW I'm right about this! What the hell have we ever done to deserve this?"_

_"If I agree to let you, and only YOU, practice magic, will you accept moving into my mansion with me?" Marcel finally asked._

_At first, Belinda didn't say anything, mostly because she wasn't expecting him to ask her to move in with him, especially since they just met. Finally, she said, "All right, Marcel, I'll move in with you."_

**Later – The Cemetery**…

_"You're not serious, Belinda! He's the reason we live in exile!" Sabine Graham exclaimed, scowling._

_Belinda sighed and shook her head. She knew that Sabine was going to react like this. "I am serious, Sabine. Marcel has asked me to move in with him. He also promised that I can practice magic."_

_"He just wants to use you, Indy. Don't you get that!? He doesn't do that for any of us!" Sabine growled._

_"I saw no indication of him wanting to use me," Belinda said. "I did a quick scan and he had no ulterior motive."_

_"That's because he was probably hiding it from you," Sabine said. "Trust me, vampires ALWAYS have ulterior motives."_

_"Well, if he DOES have one, I'll ask him first thing. But, for now, I should get going. I have a lot of things to take over to his place," Belinda said._

_Sabine sighed heavily then said, "Fine. I just hope you know what you're getting yourself into, Belinda."_

_Belinda waved one hand over her shoulder as she then turned her back to the other African-American witch and walked out of the cemetery._

_**Meanwhile**…_

_Marcel was at the mansion, making preparations for when Belinda arrived. He wanted everything to be perfect, especially since he was quite fond of the witch, even though he only just met her not even an hour ago. Nevertheless, he wanted her to feel welcome. A few minutes later, he heard a gentle knock at the front door, and he walked at a normal pace to answer the door. When he opened the door and saw Belinda standing there, he smiled and said, "Welcome to my house, Miss La Fleur." He lifted her hand and kissed it._

_"Thank you for having me," she said with a blush and a smile._

_Marcel smiled. "It was my pleasure. My home is your home."_

_"Let's just get one thing straight, Marcel. If you EVER lie to me about anything, I will use my powers on you to give you a migraine so big that you'll be begging me to stop," Belinda told him._

_Marcel nodded. "You have my word, Belinda. I won't lie to you about anything."_

**Present Day**…

Marcel grabbed the first thing he could and threw it across the office, watching as it shattered against the opposite wall. As he sat there and looked at the damage, he pounded the desk and growled. "Those damn Mikaelsons are going to pay for this!" He also then realized that he was going to have to make a choice between Rebekah and Belinda. While it was true that he and Rebekah had a history together and he loved her, whatever feelings they had in the past seemed to have diminished. However, with Belinda, whom he had loved since 1963, the feelings were still strong. Could it be that it was time to move on?

He finally made his decision after a few more minutes of weighing out the pros and cons over the woman he once loved with the strongest passion he'd ever known but could never have until before the 1920s and the woman who had seen him through 50 years of bringing New Orleans to the present day. His mind made up, he exited his room and went to find Diego, who was just about to leave to find Sage and bring her to the compound. "Diego, wait a minute."

Diego looked at his boss. "What's going on?"

"I know that I wanted you to bring Sage here, but I changed my mind," Marcel said. "I'm going to give in to the demands."

"Are you sure about that, Marcel?" Diego asked.

Marcel nodded. "I'm sure. I had some time to think about it."

"Okay, boss, I'll be back later to check on you," Diego said before departing without doing his previous task.

Marcel nodded and watched as Diego walked away, sighing heavily. Although it wasn't easy coming up with the decision to surrender Rebekah back to her family, he knew that he couldn't force her to rekindle a flame that had long since died, especially since he now had another woman in his life.

His mind went back another time, this memory just after the Vietnam War:

_**1970 – The Quarter**…_

_Marcel sat up when he heard the gentle creak of the floorboards outside his bedroom then turned his eyes toward the door when it slowly began to open before letting out a sigh of relief when he discovered it was only Belinda. "Hey," she said quietly._

_Marcel smiled her. "Hi." Curiously, he added, "What are you doing up?"_

_"Couldn't sleep," she replied. "I guess it's because of that broadcast I saw about that dreadful Vietnam stuff. Honestly, it's bad enough those poor men are over there without having to see it."_

_Crooking his finger, Marcel encouraged Belinda to step further into the room. She complied, going over and climbing up onto the bed, where he gently wrapped her in his arms as they lay with her back facing his front. Belinda let out a soft sigh as she then felt Marcel use one set of fingers to gently stroke up and down her bare arm. "I promise that it will be okay," he said softly._

_Belinda smiled at his words. "You always know what to say to make me feel better. I guess that's why I like living here. Whenever I'm upset about something, you're there to lift my spirits."_

_"I'm happy to help," he said with a smile back at her. And then he felt her shifting to roll over, but he stopped her. "Don't."_

_"Why?" she asked quietly._

_"Because, if you do, it'll ruin the moment," he replied._

_Belinda smirked. "Well, maybe I want to ruin the moment." Marcel swore under his breath before blurring out of the room. All the tension between him and Belinda was going to explode if he didn't stop himself from wanting to take her and brand her as his. Belinda saw him blur out of the room, watching after him. Why would he suddenly run away from her like that? They had been living together for the past seven years and they seemed to have gotten close in that time period. She didn't do what she did to scare him; she just wanted to be affectionate with him. Sighing, she left the bed and went in search of him, wrapping a robe around herself to keep herself shielded from the night air. After a while, she found him sitting at the table in the courtyard of the compound. With another sigh, she descended the stairs and slowly approached the table, not wanting to startle him. "Marcel, what's wrong? You know you can talk to me. Haven't we gotten close over the seven years since I started living here?"_

_Turning around to her, Marcel then reached out and gently grabbed her hand, tugging her flush against his hard body. Belinda gasped upon feeling **all** of him then gasped again when he captured her lips with his, tongue delving deep into her mouth. Her eyes drifting closed, the witch brought her arms up to wrap around his neck. After several minutes, Marcel pulled back, looking into her eyes. "I'm sorry, Belinda, I didn't mean to give you the wrong impression. It's just that I feel something between us, something that gets stronger every time I look at you."_

_Belinda cut him off with a kiss, her tongue desperate as she pushed him backwards over the table and straddling his hips. Marcel returned her kiss, groaning against her lips as he ran his hands up and down her body. He reached up and removed her robe, throwing it to the floor._

_The witch arched back upon feeling his hands slide up her waist until they'd gently cupped her full, round breasts. "Marcellus…" Belinda whimpered. Marcel paused then. He had never heard anyone but Klaus call him by that name, but hearing Belinda use it kind of turned him on. Belinda felt him stop and looked at him. "Did I do or say something wrong?"_

_"No, mon cherie. I'd just never heard anyone call me by my full name other than the man who sired me," he replied._

_Belinda smiled. "Well then, I'm glad that I get to be the second person to call you by your full name." He smiled back then captured her lips with his, turning them until she was the one on the table, moving to hover over her. Belinda smiled up at him. "What do you plan to do to me, my King?"_

_"I will think of something, my Queen," he replied with a smirk._

_Belinda licked her lips. "Whatever you do, I'm going to enjoy it."_

_"Yes, you will," Marcel said. "And I will too."_

_That being said, he kissed her passionately and ran his hands up and down her body, hearing her moan against his mouth as she returned his kiss and their tongues collided. Belinda released shudder upon shudder at each caress of his hands over her body, arching it back as they roamed over the curves of her nearly bare chest. Marcel growled against her lips and then vamp sped them up to their room, not wanting his minions to walk in on them. Once there, he shed their pajamas and grabbed her hips, placing his hardened member into her core, thrusting hard and fast into her. Belinda responded by rocking her hips against his thrusts, trembling under him._

_**Two Hours Later**…_

_Marcel used a gentle hand to caress over the front part of Belinda's slender curves. Belinda smiled as she felt his hand caressing her. "That was amazing."_

_"It definitely was," he replied. "You were amazing yourself, cherie."_

_"I can't take all the credit. You made me feel amazing," she said softly._

_Marcel chuckled and kissed her softly. "These past seven years with you have been the best seven years of my existence."_

_Belinda returned his kiss. "You're not the only one who thinks so. They've been the best seven years of mine as well."_

**Author's Note:** I don't want to cut it off here, but it's getting good, is it not?


End file.
